Llullaillaco, clear as day

Bathed in the pristine light of the Chilean Atacama Desert, the ESO VLT’s Auxiliary Telescope 2 stands on Cerro Paranal. It is one of four that are used with the Very Large Telescope Interferometer. During the day, its bulbous dome is closed, protecting the sensitive telescope within.

The magnificent 6739-metre volcano Llullaillaco stands proudly in the background of this photograph. Although it looks relatively close on the horizon, it is actually an incredible 190 kilometres away, on the border with Argentina. That Llullaillaco can be seen so clearly is evidence of the region’s unparallelled atmospheric conditions. The clear air is one of the many factors that make this such a wonderful location for astronomical observatories. It is from this excellent vantage point that ESO astronomers study objects that are not just hundreds of kilometres in the distance, but billions of light-years away.

This photograph was taken by ESO Photo Ambassador Gianluca Lombardi.

Links

Herkunftsnachweis:

ESO/G. Lombardi (glphoto.it)

Über das Bild

ID:potw1151a
Typ:Fotografisch
Veröffentlichungsdatum:19. Dezember 2011 10:00
Größe:5184 x 3456 px

Über das Objekt

Name:Llullaillaco, Very Large Telescope
Typ:Solar System : Planet : Feature : Surface : Mountain
Unspecified : Technology : Observatory : Telescope
Kategorie:Paranal

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