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
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)
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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.

From an aerial view of the Paranal Oberservatory, 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).

The Very Large Telescope (VLT) consists of four 8.2-metre telescopes operating in the visible and infrared. These telescopes, along with four smaller auxiliary telescopes, are also combined to operate as an optical interferometer on certain nights of the year. All of the 8.2-metre telescopes have adaptive optics and a full suite of instruments.