Mounted image 008: VLT panorama

The Very Large Telescope on the 2600-metre high Cerro Paranal plateau in the Chilean Atacama desert is ESO’s premier site for observations in visible and infrared light. The four Unit Telescopes with 8.2-metre diameter mirrors are complemented by four 1.8-metre diameter Auxiliary Telescopes to improve imaging capabilities and enable full night-time use on a year-round basis. The VLT can also combine the light from the Unit Telescopes to work as an interferometer.