File number: chka0010

© South American Pictures/ Tony Morrison

Chile:  the European Southern Observatory (ESO) in the Atacama desert houses the world's most powerful telescope, the Very Large Telescope or VLT. It comprises four telescopes each weighing 22 tons, and through their combined strength it is possible to see small objects on the moon and larger features far out in space. The Observatory stands on Cerro Paranal, 2600m above sea level, where the skies are clear almost every night of the year.