A distant beacon

Cerro Armazones, in Chile's Atacama Desert, is the site of ESO’s upcoming giant, the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT). In this image, we see the road leading up to this 3000m-high mountain, and in the distance, ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT). The lasers of the VLT reach towards the sky, parallel to the Milky Way. Cerro Armazones was actually the first suggested site for the VLT, and now the mountain will finally get a telescope of its own.

Working at high altitude is not easy, but Cerro Armazones is both dry and has almost no artificial light pollution, making it a perfect site with excellent conditions for the world’s biggest eye on the sky. In this picture we see a red shimmer illuminating the dark sky, a natural phenomenon called airglow.

With an anticipated first light later this decade, and equipped with a range of scientific instruments, the ELT will be able to probe the Milky Way and its stars and planets, as well as look back in time to unravel the mysteries of cosmos. One can truly say that good things come to those who wait.