2015-04-25: The ESO Observatory on Mount Paranal and Mano del Desierto (2/3)

Here a couple of pictures of the Atacama desert, the driest desert of the world. I was impressed by its vastness, and emptiness. Except for the sky, they look like the pictures that the Mars rovers sent back to earth.

 

VLT: View near Cerro Paranal
VLT: Scenery near Cerro Paranal

 

VLT: Airstrip next to Cerro Paranal (probably to supply VLT)
VLT: Airstrip next to Cerro Paranal (probably to haul in supplies for the VLT)

 

VLT: Desert around Cerro Paranal
VLT: Desert around Cerro Paranal

 

VLT: Desert around Cerro Paranal
VLT: Desert around Cerro Paranal

 

VLT: Desert around Cerro Paranal
VLT: Desert around Cerro Paranal

 

VLT: Desert around Cerro Paranal
VLT: Desert around Cerro Paranal

 

Atacama: The Desert
Atacama: The Desert

 

Atacama: The Desert
Atacama: The Desert

 

ELT: The completion of the ELT (Extremly Large Telescope) is planed for 2024. A way marker is already in place
ELT: The completion of the ELT (Extremly Large Telescope) is planed for 2024. A way marker is already in place

 

Atacama: A Mars-like Picture
Atacama: A Mars-like Picture

 

Mano del Desierto: Pebbles, Stones, Weathered Boulders, Mountains  -- meet the Driest Desert on Earth
Atacama around Mano del Desierto: Pebbles, Stones, Weathered Boulders, Mountains — meet the Driest Desert on Earth

 

Mano del Desierto: It is Dry -- there are however traces of creeks and crevasses.
Atacama around Mano del Desierto: It is Dry — there are however Traces of Creeks and Crevasses.

 

Mano del Desierto: World in Mirror
Atacama around Mano del Desierto: World in Mirror

 

Manu del Desierto: Mars like Landscape
Atacama around Manu del Desierto: Mars like Landscape