Keeping an eye on the sky

This timelapse of ESO's VLT shows the Unit Telescopes as they swivel to keep track of the focus of their observations while the starry skies move overhead. Captured on one of the 300 clear nights that Paranal has per year, this footage demonstrates the excellent viewing conditions at the observatory. As the world's most advanced optical instrument, the VLT is in a position to make the very most of these conditions, and is currently the most productive individual ground-based facility, leading to the publication of an average of more than one peer-reviewed scientific paper per day.