This view above the ESO La Silla Observatory in the southernmost part of the Atacama desert was obtained some evenings ago by ESO Software Engineer Nico Housen. Normally stationed at the Paranal Observatory, he seized the opportunity of a visit to ESO's other observatory site to produce this amazing vista of the early evening scenery.

To the left is the decommisioned 15-metre dish of the Swedish- ESO Submillimetre Telescope (SEST), and on the right in the background is the dome of the ESO 3.6-metre telescope, at the highest point of the mountain.

The southern Milky Way is seen along the right border of the SEST and above the 3.6 metre telescope. There is an upside-down reflection of the sky and the horizon behind the photographer in the highly polished antenna dish of the SEST.

Besides the reflection of the horizon (the darker part in the top of the dish) and the Milky Way (which runs as a thin cloud from the bottom of the dish up to the horizon) there is also a yellow area of light to the right.

This is the reflection of the city lights of the city of La Serena, about 100 km away and too faint to disturb observations of celestial objects high above La Silla.

The 3.6-m telescope began operations in 1976 and was ESO's largest telescope until the advent of the VLT at Paranal. Never endowed with a fancy name like the VLT Unit telescopes, the "3.6-m" houses several state-of-the-art astronomical instruments, including the ultra-precise HARPS facility that is used to hunt for exoplanets, cf. ESO PR 22/04.

The SEST was for a long time the only instrument of its kind in the southern hemisphere. With it, ESO gained invaluable experience in ground-based non-optical observations, paving the way for the ALMA project.

The Atacama Large Millimetre Array (ALMA) is one of the largest ground-based astronomy projects of the next decade after the ESO VLT.

Its construction started last year and will be completed by 2011. When ready, it will be the largest and most sensitive astronomical observatory of its kind, comprisiing some sixty-four 12-m antennas located on a 10-km wide plateau at a 5000-m elevation in the Atacama Desert.

More information on ALMA can be found on ESO PR 29/03 or on the ESO ALMA web page.ESO PR Photo 27/04 may be reproduced if Nico Housen and the

European Southern Observatory are mentioned as source. Related Links
SpaceDaily
Search SpaceDaily
Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only