The Paranal Observatory is an astronomical observatory in Chile. It is in the Atacama Desert, Cerro Paranal, Chile at an altitude of 2635 metres. It is dry, flat and remote from any light and dust sources, but is still easily accessible. The European Southern Observatory (ESO) built and operates a series of telescopes at this site.
The Very Large Telescope (VLT) is the largest telescope on Paranal. It is composed of four separate 8.2-metre Unit Telescopes and an additional four 1.8-metre Auxiliary Telescopes. The telescopes can be combined to form the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI). The combined interferometer is 25 times more accurate than the individual instruments.
Apart from the VLT, Paranal also hosts three survey telescopes. In order to accommodate all the staff, there is also an ESO hotel, the Residencia. The hotel served as a backdrop for the 2008 James Bond film “Quantum of Solace”. The Milky Way is visible very clearly. The green-blue air airglow adds some colour to the dark night-sky.
This discs comes with a scenic disc showing palm trees near a beach. Those who prefer romantic palm trees over deserted mountains will feel the ultimate excitement of the sky.