Light in the desert

Tiny glimmers of light can be seen escaping the windows of the Residencia, the hotel where staff and astronomers working at ESO's Very Large Telescope stay. The award-winning building provides an oasis for its inhabitants amid the harsh desert surroundings, and it is well designed not to let stray light interfere with the starlight coming from the exceptionally clear skies at Paranal, as demonstrated here by the breathtaking view of the Milky Way overhead. The glamorous interior of the building was also used as a backdrop for part of the James Bond movie "Quantum of Solace".