14 DAY TRIAL // Gabriel Brammer, a Photo Ambassador for the European Southern Observatory, was recently able to capture this breathtaking panoramic image of the Milky Way from the Paranal Observatory, in the Chilean Andes. The field of view encompasses the most important parts of the galactic center and highlights the vastness and beauty of the Milky Way.
The clear, precipitation- and cloud-free skies over the Andes Mountains is what allows for such images to be taken of the night sky. The area where the Paranal Observatory is located, on the 2,635-meter (8,645-foot) Cerro Paranal mountain of the Atacama desert, in northern Chile, is perfectly-suited for astronomical observations and has the added advantage of being in the southern hemisphere.
The Paranal Observatory is home to the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT), the VLT Survey Telescope, and the 4-meter (160-inch) Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy (VISTA) survey telescopes. These three installations are among the best for optical astronomy in the world, and they have thus far produced thousands of scientific papers in astronomy among themselves.
The Observatory is also known for the amazing photos that can be taken of the night sky, even without a telescope. The clear atmospheric conditions at its location are perfect for observing the night sky with simple binoculars and with the naked eye. The sheer size of the Milky Way becomes apparent after a single night spent in the Chilean Andes.