File:Sailing Atacama Desert.jpg

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English: Like the bow of a ship sailing a rolling ocean of red hills, the southeast corner of the observing platform at Paranal stands over the Mars-like landscape of the Chilean Atacama Desert. This panorama shows the breathtaking view of the horizon, and conveys the feeling of immensity experienced when looking from the top of Cerro Paranal, a remote 2600-metre-high mountain located in one of the driest regions on Earth.

Atop Cerro Paranal is the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT), the world’s most advanced optical and near infrared ground-based astronomical facility, composed of four 8.2-metre Unit Telescopes (UTs) and four 1.8-metre Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs). The fourth Unit Telescope (UT4), named Yepun in the Mapuche language, is most prominent in this photograph, while UT3 (Melipal) and UT1 (Antu) are just visible on the right-hand edge of the picture. Three of the smaller ATs can also be seen on the 200-metre-wide observing platform. The yellow structure in front of Yepun is the “M1 Lifting Platform”, used to move the 8.2-metre-diameter primary mirror (M1) and its support structure out of the telescope building for periodic recoating.

In the distance, over the edge of the platform, is the Paranal Observatory base camp, which includes the Residencia, the Main Maintenance Building, the power station and the warehouse. These facilities are situated some 2 km away from the telescopes, at a lower altitude of about 2400 metres. The whole observatory complex operates as an “island” in the desert, where essentials such as water, food and fuel must be brought from Antofagasta, located about 120 km to the north. The remoteness of the site makes operating Paranal Observatory a great logistical challenge, but the reward is a location with superb conditions for astronomy.
Español: Como la proa de un barco navegando por un ondulado oceano de rojos cerros, el rincón sureste de la plataforma de observación en Paranal se yergue sobre el paisaje semi marciano del Desierto de Atacama chileno. Este panorama muestra la impresionante vista del horizonte, y trasmite el sentimiento de inmensidad que se experimenta cuando se mira desde la cima del Cerro Paranal, una remota montaña de 2600 metros de altura ubicada en una de las regiones más secas de la Tierra.

Sobre el Cerro Paranal está el Very Large Telescope (VLT) de ESO, la instalación astronómica terrestre óptica e infrarrojo cercana más avanzada del mundo, compuesta por cuatro Unidades de Telescopio (UTs) de 8,2 metros y cuatro Telescopios Auxiliares (ATs) de 1,8 metros. La cuarta Unidad de Telescopio (UT4), llamada Yepun en lengua mapuche, es la más prominente en esta fotografía, mientras que UT3 (Melipal) y UT1 (Antu) alcanzan a verse en el borde derecho de la fotografía. Tres de los ATs más pequeños también se ven sobre la plataforma de observación de 200metros de ancho. La estructura amarilla frente a Yepun es la Plataforma de Elevación M1, empleada para sacar el espejo primario M1 de 8,2metros de diámetro y su estructura soportante fuera del edificio del telescopio para recubrimiento periódico.

A la distancia, por sobre el borde de la plataforma, está el campamento base del Observatorio Paranal, que incluye la Residencia, el Edificio Principal de Mantenimiento, la central eléctrica y la bodega. Estas instalaciones están situadas a unos 2km de distancia de los telescopios, a una altura menor de unos 2400metros. Todo el complejo del observatorio opera como una “isla" en el desierto, donde los elementos esenciales tales como agua, alimentos, combustible deben ser traídos desde Antofagasta, ubicada a unos 120km hacia el norte. Lo remoto de la locación convierte la operación del Observatorio Paranal en un gran desafío logístico, pero la recompensa es una ubicación con condiciones soberbias para la astronomía.
Date (released)
Source http://www.eso.org/public/images/potw1103a/
Author ESO/José Francisco Salgado (josefrancisco.org)

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