Built to resist: the ELT’s seismic isolators

This 360 degree panorama shows the foundations of ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), where a complex system is used to protect the telescope from earthquakes. Seismic events are common in Chile’s Atacama Desert, where the ELT is located. To protect the ELT and its sensitive instruments from damage, seismic isolators are placed between the base layer of the foundation and the rock of Cerro Armazones.

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