Unrecognisable Paranal Residencia

The facade of the Paranal Residencia is hardly recognizable in this cloudy, snow-covered landscape. Although Cerro Paranal is one of the best sites for ground-based astronomy, with an average of 350 clear nights a year, it occasionally happens to have rain or snow falls. One of these rare, fascinating views is captured in this picture. Close-up is a dry Cistanthe Celosioides, a plant which can survives in the driest environments, where nothing else can grow.