This stunning fisheye photograph shows the towering wonder of the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope — plus, you know, some galaxy called the Milky Way in the background, too.
In fact, the image shows the four Unit Telescopes — Antu, Kueyen, Melipal and Yepun — that make up just part of the Very Large Telescope (VLT) and the VLT Survey Telescope (VST) in Cerro Paranal, Chile. It’s the first published photograph from the ESO Ultra HD Expedition, a project in which four world-renowned videographers will capture in striking detail the work of the star-gazing organisation.
The ESO has also kindly provided an annotated version of the image, below, so you can see what’s what. [ESO]