Cerro Paranal in 1987

Cerro Paranal — home to ESO's Paranal Observatory — is revealed in this unique photograph captured in 1987, before the construction of the observatory commenced.

Cerro Paranal is located 130 kilometers south of the city of Antofagasta in the Chilean Atacama Desert. Prior to the construction of the observatory, its summit had an elevation of 2664 metres and was used as a surveying station.

The mountain is currently 2635 metres above sea level — a consequence of the construction of the observatory. Its now flattened peak hosts the four 8.2-metre VLT Unit Telescopes and four 1.8-metre Auxiliary Telescopes, in addition to the VISTA telescope and VLT Survey Telescope.