The TRAPPIST–south telescope at La Silla

A new robotic telescope had first light at ESO’s La Silla Observatory, in Chile, in June 2010. TRAPPIST (TRAnsiting Planets and PlanetesImals Small Telescope–South) is devoted to the study of planetary systems through two approaches: the detection and characterisation of planets located outside the Solar System (exoplanets) and the study of comets orbiting around the Sun. The 60-cm national telescope is operated from a control room in Liège, Belgium, 12 000 km away.