Paranal Observatory
At 2635 metres above sea level in the Atacama Desert of Chile, ESO’s Paranal Observatory is one of the very best astronomical observing sites in the world and is the flagship facility for European ground-based astronomy. It hosts several world-class telescopes; among them are the Very Large Telescope and the Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy. Other scientific and support facilities are also located at Paranal, including several smaller telescopes and an innovative accommodation facility known as the Residencia. The future ESO's Extremely Large Telescope will be operated from ESO's Paranal Observatory.
Paranal Observatory Map
A Tour at Paranal Observatory
Click on the image to take a Virtual Tour in and nearby the VLT. |
Visit Paranal Observatory
- Journalists, science writers and producers, please see Media Visits
- Tourist, students and lay people, please see Tourists and Students Visits
Paranal Observatory Timelapse
Telescopes currently operated by ESO
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National and project telescopes in operation
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The Paranal Observatory on Google map
Download the 3D models of the telescopes and see them in Google earth (kmz file, 4.8MB)