Cerro Paranal

Cerro Paranal is a prominent mountain in northern Chile, standing about 2,600 meters (8,530 feet) high. It is home to the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (VLT), one of the world's most advanced optical telescopes for astronomical research. Its high altitude and extremely dry climate, due to its location in the Atacama Desert, provide ideal conditions for observing the night sky with minimal atmospheric interference. This allows astronomers to study distant stars, galaxies, and other celestial phenomena in great detail, advancing our understanding of the universe.