Paranal under snow

An unusual snow-covered Paranal Observatory during southern-hemisphere winter 2011. In the foreground is the Residencia, while in the background is ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT), on the 2600-metre-high Cerro Paranal. The picture is taken looking toward the northwest. On the western horizon, an unusually clear Pacific Ocean is partially seen. In normal weather conditions, the ocean is covered by clouds.