In one of the darkest places on Earth there"s a cluster of telescopes that examine the heavens each night, sending detailed information about the celestial bodies they observe to astronomers across the planet. Far from any population centers or light pollution, the Atacama Desert is the world"s driest nonpolar desert. It"s the perfect place for La Silla Observatory, one of the largest observatories in the Southern Hemisphere, and the first to be used by the European Southern Observatory (ESO), a research organization made up of astronomers from 16 European nations. The first ESO telescope at the La Silla site in Chile began operating in 1966.
Astronomy Day
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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A predator at risk
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Hello, spring!
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And the skies filled with bats…
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A day of death and rebirth
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Celebrating Helsinki’s birthday at the Kiasma Museum
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Gamboa Crater, Mars
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Step into the dark
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Into the woods
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Bobbing for crab apples
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Endangered Species Day
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Sligachan Old Bridge, Isle of Skye, Scotland
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Let s run em up!
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Río Arazas in Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park, Spain
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The power of the forest
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Summer huts in winter
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Zhangjiajie National Forest Park in Hunan Province, China
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National Panda Day
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A wonderland in winter
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Angkor, Cambodia
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A unique elephant encounter in Nantes
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Horseshoe Bend, Arizona
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Ayutthaya Historical Park, Thailand
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Diwali
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International Day of the World s Indigenous Peoples
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Ring of fire
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Infant Sumatran orangutan, Indonesia
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‘You should see the one that got away!’
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The dog days of summer
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Russell lupines, Lake Tekapo, New Zealand
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Speed skaters in the Gangneung Oval, Pyeongchang, South Korea