December - Star trails above La Silla

This unusual image shows three of the telescopes at ESO’s La Silla Observatory in Chile — the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope on the left, ESO’s 3.6-metre telescope sitting in the distance behind it, and the Danish 1.54-metre telescope on the right, apparently looming over its companions in the foreground. Of course, this is a highly distorted view of the telescopes! This photograph was taken by ESO Photo Ambassador Petr Horálek to emphasise not the telescopes themselves but the stunning features of the night sky above the observatory site, which is one of the best in the world. This is a long-exposure shot intended to capture the apparent motion of the stars as they slowly circle overhead in the sky.