The European Southern Observatory (ESO) in Chile

In the southern part of the Atacama Desert, at an altitude of over 2,000 meters above sea level, is a complex consisting of three observatories that belong to the organization, called the European Southern Observatory.

ESO year of creation is considered to be the year 1962. It was then that declaration was signed by representatives of five European countries to initiate the construction of the observatory in the southern hemisphere. It was originally planned that the construction will be in South Africa. However, a more profitable place became Southern Andes. Now, the organization consists of 15 European countries and Brazil. In the collection you will see not only pictures of the observatory, but also photos of space, equipment made by the observatory.

Photo taken from a distance of 14 km from the Very Large Telescope (VLT) at the Paranal Observatory area (altitude - 2635 m above sea level).





The project «ALMA» (Atacama Large Millimeter Array) will soon be completed: 66 radio telescopes that will be merged into one radio interferometer (altitude - 5058 meters above sea level).







Glowing laser background VLT. It helps to fix the remote parts of the cosmos.



The picture of the Helix Nebula made equipment La Silla Observatory.



Globular cluster NGC 2257 in the constellation Dorado.



View of the Chajnantor plateau and antenna ALMA, working as a single telescope.



ALMA correlator is one of the most powerful supercomputers in the world. The photo illustrates one of four identical quadrants processors amount of about 134 million.



Control Center telescope ALMA.



Spiral galaxy Messier 104, better known as the Sombrero, located about 30 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Virgo.



Horsehead Nebula image composed of three shots.



Relocate employees Paranal Observatory.



For scientists, there are all conditions for a decent holiday.



Tests spectrograph in Edinburgh, before heading to Chile. Before you 24 robotic arm.



Tail of Comet McNaught on background Very Large Telescope.



Cleaning the Mirror's Very Large Telescope (VLT), a diameter of 8, 2 meters.



The rotation of the dome VLT at the beginning of the cycle of the telescope.



The helical structure around the constellation Sculptor.



Dark cloud Barnard 68 in the constellation Ophiuchus seems dark spot, because the stars within the nebula are hidden in this spectrum. The fact is that the cloud is close enough to the Earth.



View of the Paranal Observatory: Right - VLT, and left telescope VISTA.



A unique photo. In the Atacama Desert is a very rare snow. Transportation on Chajnantor plateau antennas, ALMA will allow the project to create a variety of hardware configurations.



Tarantula Nebula in the constellation Dorado. The picture was taken telescope VISTA.



Spiral galaxy NGC 1365 with a bridge in the constellation Fornax. Its diameter is about 200,000 light-years.



Work on one of the 12-meter radio telescopes ESO.



VLT before the start of work at sunset.



Panorama of the southern part of the Atacama Desert.