ESOshop: Mounted image 155: Icy Penitents by Moonlight on Chajnantor

These striking ice and snow formations are known as penitentes (Spanish for “penitents”). Although they look like bizarre sculptures, they are natural marvels created by specific physical conditions in high-altitude regions, such as here on the 5000-metre Chajnantor plateau, the site of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA).

 

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