La Silla panorama

This panorama reveals the barren and deserted landscape that surrounds La Silla Observatory. Here the setting Milky Way plane lies nearly parallel to the horizon, creating a unique view.

La Silla is located at the outskirts of the Chilean Atacama Desert, 600 km north of Santiago de Chile and at an altitude of 2400 metres. Like other observatories in this geographical area, La Silla is located far from sources of light pollution and it has one of the darkest night skies on the Earth.