Cerro Armazones drone footage

This drone footage, taken in Spring 2018, shows Cerro Armazones in Chile's Atacama Desert. This will be the site for ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) and the digging of foundations for this enormous project. The outline of the telescope’s main structure is clearly visible and, when completed, an 80-metre-high dome will cover this outline. The 55-metre diameter circular pit at the centre will eventually contain the foundation for the structures supporting the colossal 39-metre primary mirror that gives the ELT its name.

This dramatic footage was taken by ESO photo ambassador Gerhard Hüdepohl, who used a drone to gaze down on Cerro Armazones.

Links:

• ESOcast 176 Light: Building the Biggest Optical Telescope in the World (4K UHD)