Cerro Paranal Observatory

Paranal Observatory

Cerro Paranal is the observatory's main-peak where the VLT (four units) and VST (right) are located
Organization	European Southern Observatory
Observatory code	309
Location	Cerro Paranal, Chile
Coordinates	24°37′38″S 70°24′15″W / 24.62722°S 70.40417°W / -24.62722; -70.40417Coordinates: 24°37′38″S 70°24′15″W / 24.62722°S 70.40417°W / -24.62722; -70.40417
Altitude	2,635 metres (8,645 ft)
Website	eso.org/sci/facilities/paranal.html
Telescopes
Very Large Telescope 8.2 m reflector (×4) VLT Auxiliary Telescope 1.8 m reflector (×4) VISTA Telescope 4.0 m reflector VLT Survey Telescope 2.6 m reflector Next-Generation Transit Survey 0.2 m array (×12)
Location of Paranal Observatory
[]

Paranal Observatory is an astronomical observatory operated by the European Southern Observatory (ESO); it is located in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile on Cerro Paranal at 2,635 m (8,645 ft) altitude, 120 km (70 mi) south of Antofagasta. By total light-collecting area, it is the largest optical-infrared observatory in the Southern hemisphere; worldwide, it is second to the Mauna Kea Observatory on Hawaii.

The Very Large Telescope (VLT), the largest telescope on Paranal, is composed of four separate 8.2 m (320 in) telescopes. In addition, the four main telescopes can combine their light to make a fifth instrument, the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI). Four auxiliary telescopes of 1.8 m (71 in) each are also part of the VLTI to make it available when the main telescopes are being used for other projects.

The site also houses the 2.6 m (100 in) VLT Survey Telescope and 4.0 m (160 in) VISTA survey telescope with wider fields of view for surveying large areas of sky uniformly.

Two major new facilities are under construction nearby: the Southern part of the Cherenkov Telescope Array gamma-ray telescope (not owned by ESO) will be sited in the grounds 10km south-east of Paranal; while ESO's future E-ELT will be on the nearby peak of Cerro Armazones 20km east of Paranal, and will share some of the base facilities.

From an aerial view of the Paranal Observatory, the four large units of the VLT with their four small, dome-shaped auxiliary telescopes can be clearly seen. The Survey Telescope, VST, is immediately adjacent to the VLT and seen in between two of its units, while VISTA is located on a secondary peak, some 1,500 m away in the background (see image).