Flaming sky over Paranal

In this ghostly night picture, taken at Paranal Observatory, we can see three out of four VLT Auxiliary Telescopes. Each one of them is a 1.8-metre telescope designed to work along with the other three as a single telescope, thanks to the VLT Interferometer.

In the background, the quiet beauty of the Atacama sky is enhanced by a red aurora-like shimmer, called airglow, which is caused by light-emitting chemical reactions in the atmosphere. Normally, those emissions are not so strong, but the night this image was taken they were unusually bright, producing this unusual picture.

Credit:

Y. Beletsky (LCO)/ESO

About the Image

Id:potw1343a
Type:Photographic
Release date:28 October 2013, 10:00
Size:5616 x 3744 px

About the Object

Name:Auxiliary Telescopes, Very Large Telescope
Type:Unspecified : Technology : Observatory : Telescope
Category:Paranal

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