Sun, Moon and telescopes above the desert

The otherworldly beauty of Chile’s Atacama Desert, home of ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT), stretches to the horizon in this panorama. On Cerro Paranal, the highest peak in the centre of this image, are the four giant Unit Telescopes of the VLT, each of which has a mirror with a diameter of 8.2 metres. On the peak to the left of Cerro Paranal is the VISTA survey telescope. This 4.1-metre telescope surveys broad swathes of the heavens, searching for interesting targets which the VLT, as well as other telescopes on the ground and in space, will study in greater detail.

This region offers some of the best conditions for viewing the night sky found anywhere on our planet. On the right of this 360-degree panorama, the Sun is setting over the Pacific Ocean, throwing long shadows across the mountainscape. On the left, the Moon gleams in the sky. Soon, the night’s observations will begin.

This wonderful panorama was made by Serge Brunier, an ESO Photo Ambassador. It is one of many awe-inspiring images in which he captures ESO’s observatories, their beautiful locations, and the splendour of the skies above them.

Links

Crédit:

ESO/S. Brunier

À propos de l'image

Identification:potw1218a
Type:Photographique
Date de publication:30 avril 2012 10:00
Taille:16726 x 5906 px
Field of View:360° x 127.1°

À propos de l'objet

Nom:Panorama, Paranal
Type:Unspecified : Planet : Feature : Surface : Mountain
Unspecified : Technology : Observatory
Catégorie:360 Panorama
Paranal

Formats des images

Grand JPEG
31,7 Mio
JPEG taille écran
143,4 Kio

Zoomable


Fonds d'écran

1024x768
322,9 Kio
1280x1024
507,1 Kio
1600x1200
718,6 Kio
1920x1200
870,7 Kio
2048x1536
972,1 Kio