Very Large Telescope

#120 among destinations in Chile

Observatories and planetariums, Top attraction

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Photo details 1. Wikipedia / CC BY 4.0 / G. Hüdepohl/ESO / URL • 2. Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 4.0 / ESO/G. Blanchard / URL • 3. Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 4.0 / ESO/G. Lombardi / URL • 4. Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Gahouti Hansali / URL • 5. Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Fmillour / URL • 6. Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 4.0 / ESO / URL • 7. Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 4.0 / ESO / URL

Facts and practical information

The Very Large Telescope is a telescope facility operated by the European Southern Observatory on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. It consists of four individual telescopes, each with a primary mirror 8.2 m across, which are generally used separately but can be used together to achieve very high angular resolution. The four separate optical telescopes are known as Antu, Kueyen, Melipal, and Yepun, which are all words for astronomical objects in the Mapuche language. The telescopes form an array complemented by four movable Auxiliary Telescopes of 1.8 m aperture. ()

Alternative names: Coordinates: 24°37'37"S, 70°24'14"W

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AntofagastaChile

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Day trips

Very Large Telescope – popular in the area (distance from the attraction)

Nearby attractions include: Paranal Observatory, Cerro Paranal, Next-Generation Transit Survey, Spectro-Polarimetric High-Contrast Exoplanet Research.

~100 ftSW
Observatories and planetariums, Museum, Mountain
Paranal Observatory
1 min walk • Perched high on the Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile, the Paranal Observatory is a beacon of astronomical research and a testament to human curiosity. At an altitude of 2,635 meters above sea level, this advanced facility is home to the Very Large...
~450 ftSW
Desert mountain with an observatory
Cerro Paranal
3 min walk • Perched high atop the Atacama Desert in Chile, Cerro Paranal is a remote mountain renowned not for its altitude but for its astronomical significance. At an elevation of 2,635 meters, this seemingly nondescript peak is home to the Paranal Observatory, one of the most...
1.1 miNE
Observatories and planetariums
Next-Generation Transit Survey
29 min walk • The Next-Generation Transit Survey is a ground-based robotic search for exoplanets. The facility is located at Paranal Observatory in the Atacama desert in northern Chile, about 2 km from ESO's Very Large Telescope and 0.5 km from the VISTA Survey Telescope. Science operations began in early 2015.
~200 ftSW
Observatories and planetariums
Spectro-Polarimetric High-Contrast Exoplanet Research
1 min walk • Spectro-Polarimetric High-contrast Exoplanet REsearch is an adaptive optics system and coronagraphic facility at the Very Large Telescope. It provides direct imaging as well as spectroscopic and polarimetric characterization of exoplanet systems.