Boldly going up Cerro Paranal

ESO’s Paranal Observatory facilities, such as the Residencia, give people who work at the site a welcome shelter from the surrounding inhospitable environment. In spite of that, they also offer interesting options for those who wish to enjoy the stark and silent beauty of the Atacama Desert. See this stunning panorama!

Among these is the Star Track, a walking path which connects the Residencia with the Very Large Telescope (VLT) platform, on the 2600-metre summit of Cerro Paranal. Built in 2001, the Star Track covers about two kilometres in distance and a difference in height of 200 metres. The last part of the track snakes around the west side of the mountain, offering incomparable views.

This 360 degree panoramic picture is centred facing north, so the right and left edges of the picture correspond to the south. To the north, the VLT control room and part of one of the Unit Telescope enclosures can just be seen peeking over a local bump in the terrain that hides most of the Paranal summit. To the west, clouds cover the Pacific Ocean, only 12 kilometres away. To the east, the facade and dome of the Residencia can be seen in the distance.

Links

Źródło:

ESO/E. Emsellem

O zdjęciu

Identyfikator:potw1208a
Typ:Fotograficzny
Data publikacji:20 lutego 2012 10:00
Rozmiar:21464 x 2894 px
Field of View:360° x 48.5°

O obiekcie

Nazwa:Cerro Paranal, Panorama, Paranal
Typ:Solar System : Planet : Satellite : Feature : Surface : Mountain
Unspecified : Technology : Observatory
Kategoria:360 Panorama
Paranal

Formaty zdjęć

Pełen rozmiar
99,2 MB
Wielki JPEG
18,2 MB
JPEG do druku
799,7 KB

Powiększenie


Tapety

1024x768
342,5 KB
1280x1024
482,0 KB
1600x1200
635,2 KB
1920x1200
749,7 KB
2048x1536
890,6 KB