SLODAR instrument at Paranal

This small telescope feeds an instrument that monitors the vertical profile of the atmospheric turbulence, using the so-called “Slope Detection and Ranging (SLODAR)” technique. The instrument, developed by Durham University and ESO, was installed at ESO’s Paranal Observatory in March 2011 for a statistical characterisation of the site, and is seen here during its commissioning process. In the background, on the right, the enclosure of the 8.2-metre Yepun telescope is partially visible, on the east side of the VLT platform.