VLT lasers create artificial stars over Paranal

The beams of light from the 4 Laser Guide Star Facility on ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT) are shown reaching into the upper atmosphere in this image from ESO Photo Ambassador Fred Kamphues.

The lasers, which are the most powerful laser guide stars ever used for astronomy, are an integral part of the adaptive optics system on the VLT. Adaptive optics allows astronomers to drastically reduce the atmospheric distortion present at even the best sites in the world for astronomy, including Paranal in Chile, the home of the VLT.