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:
-
A midsummer twilight s dream
-
From pirate port to nature preserve
-
World Turtle Day
-
Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah
-
Unbearable cuteness
-
A storied trail marks a century
-
Veterans Day
-
Big dreams require a big sleigh
-
2022 Winter Paralympics
-
Badlands National Parks 45th anniversary
-
Salzburg, Austria
-
Eurasian lynx
-
Sand dunes in the Sahara, Algeria
-
Put your helmet on, we’re going for a hike
-
Red Planet Day
-
It s ∞ Day!
-
Honoring the first American woman in space
-
Arctic fox in Norway
-
Purple flowers and Golden Week
-
Snow buntings take flight
-
A garden of prickly delights
-
International Day of Forests
-
Earth Science Week
-
International Day of the Tropics
-
Almond trees in full bloom, California
-
Winter in the Finnish wilds
-
Fall Astronomy Week
-
Ukrainian Independence Day
-
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California
-
Ahh-tumn