First Stone Ceremony for ELT

Published: 13 Jun 2017
ELT with laser guide stars - artist rendering

A ceremony marking the First Stone of the ESO Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) on 26 May 2017 was attended by the President of the Republic of Chile, Michelle Bachelet Jeria. The event was held at Paranal Observatory in northern Chile, close to Cerro Armazones, site of the ELT. This milestone marked the beginning of the construction of the dome and main telescope structure. The occasion also marked the connection of the Paranal Observatory to the Chilean national electrical grid. See the Release for more details.