Rolling hills

This stunning aerial image shows the hills and mountains surrounding ESO’s Paranal Observatory in Chile. From above, the sharp, rocky details of the arid landscape melt away, giving way to textures more akin to softly rippling fabric.

The cluster of buildings in the top right of the frame contains both the observatory’s basecamp and the Residencia, where the staff and visitors to Paranal can seek refuge from the harsh desert conditions. The solitary buildings to the left of the main observatory complex house the VISTA survey telescope.

This image was taken by Gerhard Hüdepohl, one of ESO’s Photo Ambassadors. He works for ESO as an electronics engineer and has lived in Chile since 1997, where he works at the Very Large Telescope on Cerro Paranal.