3.6-metre eye on the sky

The ESO 3.6-metre telescope sits under the sky glittering with stars above its home, ESO's La Silla Observatory. After seeing first light towards the end of 1976, this telescope began scientific operations in 1977, and has been helping astronomers to study the Universe ever since. Multiple upgrades have helped the telescope to maintain its place as one of the most productive engines of astronomical research. It has also hosted many instruments, notably the High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher (HARPS), the world's foremost exoplanet hunter, which has discovered scores of alien worlds.