Sunrise at Paranal Observatory

As the night ends, telescopes close and astronomers and operators go to bed to sleep, while engineers, technicians and other staff start a new day of work. This is part of the daily routine at ESO Paranal Observatory, home of the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT). In this picture, taken looking toward the east, the Sun is about to rise over the desert. Atop the 2600-metre-high Cerro Paranal is the VLT, composed of four 8.2-metre Unit Telescopes (UTs), plus four 1.8-metre Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs). Located about 120 km south of Antofagasta, in the Atacama Desert of Chile, the VLT is the world's most advanced visible light observatory.