Astronishing

One of the four Unit Telescopes (UT) of ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT) sits under the breathtaking Paranal sky. Each of the UTs has a main mirror 8.2 metres in diameter, making them some of the largest single-mirror telescopes in the world. When used in combination, the four UTs allow astronomers to study the night sky in up to 16 times greater detail than any of them can observe alone. With about 300 clear nights per year, the excellent viewing conditions at Paranal make it the perfect location to make the most of the VLT's capabilities.