The ESO's Very Large Telescope ready for the night at Paranal

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Three of the four Unit Telescopes of ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) are shown here getting ready for another exceptional night of observations on top of Cerro Paranal, in Chile. Prior to every night, the engineers in charge go through a routine of manoeuvres to prepare the flagship facility of European astronomy. The VLT is the world’s most advanced optical instrument, consisting of four Unit Telescopes with main mirrors of 8.2-meter diameter and four movable 1.8-meter diameter Auxiliary Telescopes. One of the Auxiliary Telescopes is shown on the right of the image.
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Credit: ESO/G.Hüdepohl - atacamaphoto.com