ELT site testing — Cerro Armazones / Chile

The Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) programme office has studied half a dozen potential sites for the future ELT observatory, which, with its 40-metre-class diameter, will be the world’s biggest eye on the sky. Various aspects need to be considered in the site selection process. Parameters taken into account are not restricted to ‘sky quality’, but include more general scientific aspects, as well as parameters essential for construction and operations (e.g. accessibility, water and power supply, political stability etc.).

The above amazing picture shows Cerro Armazones with trailed stars in the backgound. Armazones is a site located in Chile, not very far from the ESO Paranal Observatory, home to the flagship Very Large Telescope. On the ELT Site Selection Advisory Committee's final short list for the recommended site, Armazones is also the committee’s preferred site, because it has the best balance of sky quality across all aspects and can be operated in an integrated fashion with the existing Paranal Observatory.

Credit:

ESO/G. Lombardi (glphoto.it)

About the Image

Id:armaz_cc
Type:Photographic
Release date:4 March 2010, 17:51
Size:3888 x 2592 px

About the Object

Name:Cerro Armazones
Type:Solar System : Planet : Feature : Surface : Mountain
Category:ELT

Image Formats

Large JPEG
1.8 MB
Screensize JPEG
131.3 KB

Wallpapers

1024x768
177.8 KB
1280x1024
294.7 KB
1600x1200
415.4 KB
1920x1200
461.8 KB
2048x1536
662.0 KB