Sunset at ESO's Paranal Observatory

The dark silhouette of Cerro Paranal, home of the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT), appears on the right against the colourful background of the western horizon. The exceptional atmospheric quality of the site makes the western horizon turn bright orange, yellow and greenish. These colours become even more intense after sunset. On the left is the Pacific Ocean, only 12 km away from the observatory and covered by clouds, as usual. The very cold oceanic stream and the geography of the coast make this area of the Atacama Desert one of the driest places on Earth and one of the best sites for ground-based astronomy. Located about 120 km south of Antofagasta, in the II Region of Chile, the VLT is the world's most advanced visible light observatory.