The Very Large Telescope: unique and powerful

ESO's Very Large Telescope is composed of four Unit Telescopes (UTs) and four Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs). Seen here is one of the UTs firing four lasers which are crucial to the telescope's adaptive optics systems. To the right of the UT are two ATs, these smaller telescopes are moveable and work in tandem with the other telescopes to create a unique and powerful tool for observing the Universe.