Glittering galactic bulge

The bulge of our home galaxy, the Milky Way, glitters as it stretches above the open dome of an 8.2-metre VLT Unit Telescope in this striking shot from ESO's Paranal Observatory in the Chilean Atacama Desert.

Observing conditions at the Paranal Observatory are so good that, on the best nights, light from the Milky Way can cast your shadow.