European
Southern
Observatory

Meilleures 100 images

1. Cover of The Messenger issue 182

Cover of The Messenger issue 182.

2. Un autre monde

3. Voler sur des ailes qui forment des planètes

4. Un nomade vert au-dessus de géants

5. Protecting the ELT

A huge structure is required to protect ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) from the elements. The telescope's structure and optical elements, including its giant 39-metre main mirror, will be housed in the largest telescope dome in the world, which is shown in this 3D rendering, along with the auxiliary building. The ELT’s dome will open its large sliding doors during the nightly telescope observations, while the rest of the structure shelters the telescope from the wind. The entire upper enclosure will rotate, allowing the telescope to observe different areas of the night sky.

6. Model for the future

In the mid-2020s, the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) will become the world’s largest mirrored telescope when it finally sees first light with its enormous 39-metre main mirror. On-site construction began in 2014 on top of Cerro Armazones in Chile. While still in its design stage, this 3D rendering shows the planned design of the ELT’s dome. The two large sliding doors stretching across the top of the dome will open synchronously during the night, allowing the telescope to gaze deeply into our Universe.

7. Model of the ELT

Once built, this gigantic structure will hold the world’s largest optical telescope, the Extremely Large Telescope or ELT. The combined weight of the ELT’s 5 mirrors, multiple scientific instruments and base structure will reach around 3700 tons. The planned dome encompassing this structure will reach 88 metres across and 80 metres tall. This extra 6000 tons dome shielding is necessary for the protection of the telescope’s 39-metre segmented main mirror from the elements in the Chilean Atacama Desert.

8. ELT azimuth structure

The ELT azimuth structure, seen in this image, will support the ELT altitude structure and scientific instruments. The azimuth floor allows access to the ELT telescope to install its components.

9. ELT altitude structure

Once up and running, the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) will be the "world's biggest eye on the sky".
This image shows the ELT altitude system, which will be home to the ELT's innovative five-mirror optical system. These mirrors include the primary mirror, which will be composed of 798 hexagonal segments, and the secondary mirror, which is due to be the largest convex optical mirror ever produced.

10. MOSAIC (artist's impression)

MOSAIC (Multi-Object Spectrograph) is a versatile multi-object spectrograph that will use the widest possible field-of-view provided by the ELT (Extremely Large Telescope). It will have three operating modes that cover observations in visible and infrared light for more than a hundred sources simultaneously.

11. MOSAIC (artist's impression)

MOSAIC (Multi-Object Spectrograph) is a versatile multi-object spectrograph that will use the widest possible field-of-view provided by the ELT (Extremely Large Telescope). It will have three operating modes that cover observations in visible and infrared light for more than a hundred sources simultaneously.

12. MOSAIC (artist's impression)

MOSAIC (Multi-Object Spectrograph) is a versatile multi-object spectrograph that will use the widest possible field-of-view provided by the ELT (Extremely Large Telescope). It will have three operating modes that cover observations in visible and infrared light for more than a hundred sources simultaneously.

13. MOSAIC (artist's impression)

MOSAIC (Multi-Object Spectrograph) is a versatile multi-object spectrograph that will use the widest possible field-of-view provided by the ELT (Extremely Large Telescope). It will have three operating modes that cover observations in visible and infrared light for more than a hundred sources simultaneously.

14. MOSAIC (artist's impression)

MOSAIC (Multi-Object Spectrograph) is a versatile multi-object spectrograph that will use the widest possible field-of-view provided by the ELT (Extremely Large Telescope). It will have three operating modes that cover observations in visible and infrared light for more than a hundred sources simultaneously.

15. MOSAIC (artist's impression)

MOSAIC (Multi-Object Spectrograph) is a versatile multi-object spectrograph that will use the widest possible field-of-view provided by the ELT (Extremely Large Telescope). It will have three operating modes that cover observations in visible and infrared light for more than a hundred sources simultaneously.

16. MOSAIC (artist's impression)

MOSAIC (Multi-Object Spectrograph) is a versatile multi-object spectrograph that will use the widest possible field-of-view provided by the ELT (Extremely Large Telescope). It will have three operating modes that cover observations in visible and infrared light for more than a hundred sources simultaneously.

17. HIRES (artist's impression)

The high-resolution ELT instrument HIRES (HIgh REsolution Spectrograph) will allow astronomers to study astronomical objects that require highly sensitive observations. It will be used to search for signs of life in Earth-like exoplanets, find the first stars born in the Universe, test for possible variations of the fundamental constants of physics, and measure the acceleration of the Universe's expansion.

18. HIRES (artist's impression)

The high-resolution ELT instrument HIRES (HIgh REsolution Spectrograph) will allow astronomers to study astronomical objects that require highly sensitive observations. It will be used to search for signs of life in Earth-like exoplanets, find the first stars born in the Universe, test for possible variations of the fundamental constants of physics, and measure the acceleration of the Universe's expansion.

19. HIRES (artist's impression)

The high-resolution ELT instrument HIRES (HIgh REsolution Spectrograph) will allow astronomers to study astronomical objects that require highly sensitive observations. It will be used to search for signs of life in Earth-like exoplanets, find the first stars born in the Universe, test for possible variations of the fundamental constants of physics, and measure the acceleration of the Universe's expansion.

20. HIRES (artist's impression)

The high-resolution ELT instrument HIRES (HIgh REsolution Spectrograph) will allow astronomers to study astronomical objects that require highly sensitive observations. It will be used to search for signs of life in Earth-like exoplanets, find the first stars born in the Universe, test for possible variations of the fundamental constants of physics, and measure the acceleration of the Universe's expansion.

21. MAORY (artist's impression)

As a first-generation instrument of the ESO Extremely Large Telescope, MAORY (Multi-conjugate Adaptive Optics RelaY) will help compensate for the distortion of light caused by turbulence in the Earth’s atmosphere which makes astronomical images blurry. MAORY will not make observations itself; rather, it will enable other instruments, such as MICADO in the first instance, to take exceptional images.

22. MAORY (artist's impression)

As a first-generation instrument of the ESO Extremely Large Telescope, MAORY (Multi-conjugate Adaptive Optics RelaY) will help compensate for the distortion of light caused by turbulence in the Earth’s atmosphere which makes astronomical images blurry. MAORY will not make observations itself; rather, it will enable other instruments, such as MICADO in the first instance, to take exceptional images.

23. MAORY (artist's impression)

As a first-generation instrument of the ESO Extremely Large Telescope, MAORY (Multi-conjugate Adaptive Optics RelaY) will help compensate for the distortion of light caused by turbulence in the Earth’s atmosphere which makes astronomical images blurry. MAORY will not make observations itself; rather, it will enable other instruments, such as MICADO in the first instance, to take exceptional images.

24. MAORY (artist's impression)

As a first-generation instrument of the ESO Extremely Large Telescope, MAORY (Multi-conjugate Adaptive Optics RelaY) will help compensate for the distortion of light caused by turbulence in the Earth’s atmosphere which makes astronomical images blurry. MAORY will not make observations itself; rather, it will enable other instruments, such as MICADO in the first instance, to take exceptional images.

25. MICADO instrument (artist's impression)

MICADO, also known as the Multi-Adaptive Optics Imaging CamerA for Deep Observations, is one of the first-light instruments for the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT).
It will be a powerful tool in many areas of astronomy, such as measuring the masses of the central black holes of nearby galaxies from the velocities of their stars, and observing high-redshift galaxies to calculate their ages, chemical makeup and histories. The instrument will also obtain spectra of supernovae produced by the first generation of massive stars in the Universe.

26. View of MICADO instrument (artist's impression)

MICADO, also known as the Multi-Adaptive Optics Imaging CamerA for Deep Observations, is one of the first-light instruments for the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT).
It will be a powerful tool in many areas of astronomy, such as measuring the masses of the central black holes of nearby galaxies from the velocities of their stars, and observing high-redshift galaxies to calculate their ages, chemical makeup and histories. The instrument will also obtain spectra of supernovae produced by the first generation of massive stars in the Universe.

27. View of MICADO instrument (artist's impression)

MICADO, also known as the Multi-Adaptive Optics Imaging CamerA for Deep Observations, is one of the first-light instruments for the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT).
It will be a powerful tool in many areas of astronomy, such as measuring the masses of the central black holes of nearby galaxies from the velocities of their stars, and observing high-redshift galaxies to calculate their ages, chemical makeup and histories. The instrument will also obtain spectra of supernovae produced by the first generation of massive stars in the Universe.

28. MICADO instrument (artist's impression)

MICADO, also known as the Multi-Adaptive Optics Imaging CamerA for Deep Observations, is one of the first-light instruments for the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT).
It will be a powerful tool in many areas of astronomy, such as measuring the masses of the central black holes of nearby galaxies from the velocities of their stars, and observing high-redshift galaxies to calculate their ages, chemical makeup and histories. The instrument will also obtain spectra of supernovae produced by the first generation of massive stars in the Universe.

29. ELT M5 mirror (artist's impression)

The Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) will contain a total of five mirrors, the smallest of them being M5 — seen in this image.
Despite being the smallest mirror in the ELT, measuring 2.7 by 2.2 metres, it will be the largest tip-tilt mirror in the world.

30. ELT M5 mirror (artist's impression)

The Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) will contain a total of five mirrors, the smallest of them being M5 — seen in this image.
Despite being the smallest mirror in the ELT, measuring 2.7 by 2.2 metres, it will be the largest tip-tilt mirror in the world.

31. ELT M5 mirror (artist's impression)

The Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) will contain a total of five mirrors, the smallest of them being M5 — seen in this image.
Despite being the smallest mirror in the ELT, measuring 2.7 by 2.2 metres, it will be the largest tip-tilt mirror in the world.

32. Rendering of M4

This image is a rendering of M4, the main adaptive mirror of the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT). The term “adaptive mirror” means that the mirror's surface can be deformed to correct for atmospheric turbulence, as well as for the fast vibration of the telescope structure induced by its motion and the wind.
The ELT, the world's biggest eye on the sky, will have a pioneering five-mirror optical system that will allow it to unveil the Universe in unprecedented detail.

33. Rendering of M4

This image is a rendering of M4, the main adaptive mirror of the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT). The term “adaptive mirror” means that the mirror's surface can be deformed to correct for atmospheric turbulence, as well as for the fast vibration of the telescope structure induced by its motion and the wind.
The ELT, the world's biggest eye on the sky, will have a pioneering five-mirror optical system that will allow it to unveil the Universe in unprecedented detail.

34. Rendering of M4

This image is a rendering of M4, the main adaptive mirror of the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT). The term “adaptive mirror” means that the mirror's surface can be deformed to correct for atmospheric turbulence, as well as for the fast vibration of the telescope structure induced by its motion and the wind.
The ELT, the world's biggest eye on the sky, will have a pioneering five-mirror optical system that will allow it to unveil the Universe in unprecedented detail.

35. The ELT M1 (artist's impression)

Computer rendering showing the main mirror (M1) of the ESO Extremely Large Telescope.

36. Computer rendering of HARMONI

Computer rendering of HARMONI, instrument of the Extremely Large Telescope.

37. Computer rendering of HARMONI

Computer rendering of HARMONI, instrument of the Extremely Large Telescope.

38. Computer rendering of HARMONI

Computer rendering of HARMONI, instrument of the Extremely Large Telescope.

39. A dazzling new future

In the mid-2020s, the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) will become the world's largest mirrored telescope when it finally sees first light with its enormous 39-meter main mirror. On-site construction began in 2014 on top of Cerro Armazones in Chile. The dome required to house this massive telescope will reach 78 meters in height and 85 metres across, with a planned weight of over 5000 tons. While still in its design stage, this 3D rendering shows the planned design of the ELT's dome. The two large sliding doors stretching across the top of the dome will open synchronously at night, allowing ...

40. The Fifth Mirror (M5)

This rendering shows the Extremely Large Telescope's fifth mirror — M5. M5 will be the world's largest tip-tilt mirror playing a crucial role in the ELT's adaptive optics system.

41. Beam me up, Yepun

Equipped on the Yepun Unit Telescope of ESO's Very Large Telescope is a Laser Guide Star Facility, a key element of adaptive optics. Appearing to beam into the far reaches of space, this laser system creates an artificial star in the Earth's atmosphere. This artificial star allows for astronomers to correct for atmospheric turbulence which can hamper the quality of their data.

42. Yepun on the VLT platform

This image features the fourth Unit Telescope of ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT), alongside one of its smaller companions.
The fourth Unit Telescope, also known as Yepun, is seen here firing its laser guide star into the night sky. This guide star is used by astronomers as part of the VLT's advanced optics system, which corrects for atmospheric disturbance and allows for much more detailed study of the skies.
The smaller telescope on the right is the second of four 1.8-m Auxiliary Telescopes that can be found on the VLT platform.

43. Yepun fulldome

This bold fish-eye (fulldome) image perfectly captures the fourth Unit Telescope of ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT).
Lasers from this telescope, which is also known as Yepun, are used by astronomers as part of the VLT's state-of-the-art adaptive optics system. These lasers create an artificial "guide star", which the system uses to account for the blurring effects of the Earth's atmosphere. This allows astronomers to study the Universe in much greater detail.

44. VLT laser guide star

The fourth Unit Telescope ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT), also known as Yepun, is seen here launching its powerful laser beam into the night sky. This creates an artificial star in Earth's mesophere, which acts as a reference for the VLT's adaptive optics system and corrects for atmospheric turbulence.

45. The Very Large Telescope: unique and powerful

ESO's Very Large Telescope is composed of four Unit Telescopes (UTs) and four Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs). Seen here is one of the UTs firing four lasers which are crucial to the telescope's adaptive optics systems. To the right of the UT are two ATs, these smaller telescopes are moveable and work in tandem with the other telescopes to create a unique and powerful tool for observing the Universe.

46. Zoom sur la formation stellaire

47. Spinning stars

Looking at images like this, it's easy to imagine that it is the stars that move to create these mesmerising trails. However, it is actually the Earth's rotation that leads to their apparent motion in the night sky.
This shot, taken from ESO's La Silla Observatory, shows the celestial south pole just to the right of centre — the point around which the stars appear to spin. In the foreground are ExTrA and BlackGEM.

48. Artificial stars

We are familiar with the twinkling of stars in the night sky, but did you know that this effect is due to the Earth's atmosphere?
This twinkling is something of a nuisance to astronomers, and so they have developed a technique called adaptive optics to counteract it. The orange lasers in this image come from Yepun — the fourth Unit Telescope of ESO's Very Large Telescope. They create artificial stars that measure the blurring effects caused by Earth's atmosphere, which are then corrected by the telescope.

49. MOSAIC model

An artistic impression of the computer model of the ELT instrument MOSAIC.

50. ELT Prefocal Station model

An artistic impression of the computer model of the ELT Prefocal Station.

51. One of Many

This deceptive image captures a seemingly isolated antenna in a lonely desert. In reality, however, this is a European antenna which forms part of the largest millimetre/submillimetre array of antennas in the world. This antenna actually boasts 49 siblings, all hidden from view. These 50 12-metre antennas constitute the aptly-named Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, situated in Chile’s Atacama Desert at 5000 metres above sea level. Alongside these 50 antennas are yet more siblings — a compact array of four 12-metre and twelve 7-metre antennas joins this main array, bringing ALMA’s total antenna count to 66.

52. The Gatekeeper

Pictured here in beautiful, warm tones of orange, red, and gold as the Sun sets over the Atacama Desert, is Licancabur. Licancabur is one of the great gatekeepers of ESO’s Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). The volcano, seen here in the foreground, sits at an altitude of 5920 metres and forms part of a chain of border mountains that separate Chile from its neighbour Bolivia. It also hosts a large crater at its summit that is filled with water — Licancabur Lake, one of the highest lakes in the world. In the background is the volcano Juriques. Lincancabur and ...

53. Watercolour Sky

This panorama shows a stunning wash of colour sweeping across the evening sky above the Chajnantor Plateau in northern Chile. Together, the bright Moon and crimson clouds look down upon the 66 antennas of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). The antennas work to study light from some of the coldest objects in the Universe, such as vast clouds in interstellar space or the first stars and galaxies that emerged from the so-called “dark ages” of the Universe many billions of years ago. The light produced by these stars and galaxies has been travelling through space ever since, but the ...

54. The Whole Family

As the Sun sets, ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) springs into action to begin its nightly mission. Consisting of four 8.2-metre Unit Telescopes (UTs) — named Antu, Kueyen, Melipal, and Yepun — and four smaller 1.8-metre Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs), the VLT is one of the most advanced telescope facilities in the world. All eight telescopes can be seen in this image, the smaller and rounder ATs scattered amongst the larger and more angular UTs.

55. Family Photo

This telescope family photograph was taken just after the sun set over ESO’s Paranal Observatory in Chile. It shows the Very Large Telescope (VLT) array. The faint pinkish glow that appears as a subtle band crossing the centre of the picture is an atmospheric phenomenon known as The Belt of Venus. This phenomenon has nothing to do with our neighbouring planet Venus, but refers to its resemblance to the girdle or belt worn by its eponymous Roman goddess.

56. River of Stars, River of Sand

This beautiful photograph, taken by ESO Photo Ambassador Petr Horálek, shows a wonderful contrast between past and present. It was taken near one of ESO’s observing facilities in the Atacama Desert, Chile, one of the driest places on Earth. The waterless riverbed in the foreground stands completely at odds with the dynamic and breathtaking “river” of the Milky Way streaking overhead. Although one flow has dried up, the other continues to surge with cosmological revelations. Upon the arid, dry planes of the Atacama, ESO has designed and built the world’s most productive observatory.

57. View From the Top

This photograph was taken on top of Cerro Paranal, the mountain in northern Chile that both hosts and lends its name to ESO’s world-leading Paranal Observatory. The great mottled arch of the central Milky Way curves across the panorama, filling the night sky with bursts of colour. Paranal is home to ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) — three of the VLT’s four large 8.2-metre Unit Telescopes (UTs) can be seen here towards the right of the frame, their housings open to capture the bright spectacle of the cosmos.

58. A Rare Touch of Snow

The Atacama Desert is one of the most extreme places on Earth. The average annual rainfall in this region barely reaches 15 millimetres, and the dry, arid conditions — which have lasted for the past three million years — make it one of the most wonderful places from which to observe the Universe. This image shows the Atacama Desert’s Chajnantor Plateau in the aftermath of something extraordinary in this region — snowfall.

59. Eyes on the Skies

Pictured here are several of the radio telescopes comprising the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). ALMA studies the Universe in wavelengths invisible to the human eye. Above the antennas, intricate dust clouds weave through the Milky Way. The prominent diamond shape of the Southern Cross (Crux) shines above the middle antenna, bordered on the left by a dark, dusty patch that blocks out the stars behind it. This is the Coalsack Nebula, also known as the head of the Emu in the Sky, an ancient constellation known to Aboriginal Australians. In front of this nebulous region are two bright stars: ...

60. HIRES model

An artistic impression of the computer model of the ELT instrument HIRES.

61. MAORY model

An artistic impression of the computer model of the ELT instrument MAORY.

62. MICADO model

An artistic impression of the computer model of the ELT instrument MICADO.

63. METIS model

An artistic impression of the computer model of the ELT instrument METIS.

64. HARMONI model

An artistic impression of the computer model of the ELT instrument HARMONI.

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93. Hanging high above: the ELT’s secondary mirror

The innovative five-mirror design of the Extremely Large Telescope requires the largest ever secondary mirror with a 4.2-metre diameter. The secondary mirror together with its support system will weigh 12 tonnes and will hang upside down high above the 39-metre primary mirror, shown at the centre of the image. With the telescope pointing straight up, the top of the secondary mirror support will be 60 metres above the ground. Creating such a large convex mirror is an incredible engineering challenge and required years of planning and precision manufacturing.

94. Gazing up in wonder

As the largest optical telescope in the world, the ELT will allow scientists to dive further into our universe than ever before. The ELT’s 39-metre ‘eye on the sky’ will capture some of the clearest images ever taken, with a precision reaching 16 times that of the Hubble Space Telescope. Located 3046 m above sea level, on top of Cerro Armazones in Chile, the ELT’s construction has already begun. Once finished, the ELT will unravel countless mysteries of the Southern hemisphere night sky, observing distant exoplanets and nebulae, gazing into the heart of our own Milky Way and all the ...

95. A guiding light

These beams of light shooting towards the sky show the laser guide stars of the future Extremely Large Telescope (ELT). Like many other systems on the ELT, the multiple laser guide stars are vital to its operation, helping it adapt to the ever-changing atmospheric conditions above the telescope. This information is sent to the ELT’s M4 mirror which will adjust its shape to compensate for the distortion caused by atmospheric turbulence, allowing astronomers to observe finer details of much fainter astronomical objects than would otherwise be possible from the ground.

96. The CRIRES+ instrument

CRIRES+ (CRyogenic high-resolution InfraRed Echelle Spectrograph+) is an instrument installed on ESO’s VLT that is designed to search for potentially habitable super-Earth exoplanets. The instrument, which has seen first light in early 2021, builds upon its predecessor, CRIRES, which was installed on the VLT in 2006.

97. The CRIRES+ team

Team members involved in the CRyogenic high-resolution InfraRed Echelle Spectrograph+ project. This photograph was taken in early 2020 during the installation of the instrument on ESO's VLT, before restrictions relating to the COVID-19 pandemic came into force.

98. Les astrophotographes se réunissent

99. ESO engineer at the ELT M1 Test Facility at ESO Headquarters

This photo shows ESO engineer Philippe Gitton working on a test model of the main mirror of ESO's Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) in January 2021. The "M1 Test Facility" was erected at ESO's Headquarters in Garching to develop and test this mirror, known as M1. As a physical model replicating in a 1:1 scale a portion of the telescope's main structure and of the M1 system, this facility is allowing engineers to extensively test the system and all its components long before the real mirror becomes operational. ESO's ELT will be located in Cerro Armazones in Chile and is expected ...

100. BlackGEM array towers

This image shows the three towers of the BlackGEM array, located at ESO's La Silla Observatory, before the installation of their telescope domes.

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