1 00:00:04,000 --> 00:00:07,000 This is the ESOcast! 2 00:00:07,000 --> 00:00:10,000 Cutting-edge science and life behind the scenes 3 00:00:10,000 --> 00:00:14,000 at ESO, the European Southern Observatory. 4 00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:43,000 ESO's La Silla observatory sits high above the breathtaking wilderness of the Atacama Desert 5 00:01:05,000 --> 00:01:12,000 La Silla is the site of several large optical telescopes with mirrors up to 3.6 metres in diameter 6 00:01:57,000 --> 00:02:04,000 It is one of the most scientifically productive observatories in the world 7 00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:27,000 The Atacama Desert has the darkest skies in the world with over 300 clear nights per year 8 00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:55,000 La Silla is home to the ESO 3.6-metre telescope 9 00:02:59,000 --> 00:03:06,000 This telescope is equipped with HARPS –the world's foremost exoplanet hunter 10 00:03:12,000 --> 00:03:18,000 La Silla was home to SEST– the first submillimetre wavelength telescope in the south 11 00:03:21,000 --> 00:03:28,000 TAROT is a fast-moving robotic telescope used to monitor Gamma Ray Bursts 12 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:43,000 The 2.2-metre MPG/ESO telescope has a field of view the size of the full moon 13 00:04:53,000 --> 00:05:00,000 The starlight from the Milky Way is so bright that it casts a shadow on the ground 14 00:06:08,000 --> 00:06:14,000 The New Technology Telescope was the first in the world to have a computer controlled main mirror 15 00:06:39,000 --> 00:06:44,000 La Silla continues to remain at the forefront of astronomical research 16 00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:03,000 ESOcast is produced by ESO, the European Southern Observatory 17 00:07:04,000 --> 00:07:06,000 ESO, the European Southern Observatory 18 00:07:06,000 --> 00:07:08,000 Is the pre-eminent intergovernmental science and technology organisation in astronomy. 19 00:07:08,000 --> 00:07:11,000 Among both ground and space-based observatories, ESO is the most productive observatory in the world. 20 00:07:13,000 --> 00:07:16,000 Transcription by Phillip Keane; translation by –