August - Sunset over Paranal

As the Sun slips below a false horizon of cloud hovering above the Pacific Ocean, the sky glows a vivid orange. The exceptionally arid climate produces both a dusty and rocky landscape, as well as some of the most spectacularly clear skies anywhere on Earth. This image was taken from Cerro Armazones, where the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) is currently being constructed. The Paranal site, home to the Very Large Telescope (VLT), is just visible above the clouds. The VLT Survey Telescope (VST) is also on the leftmost hill, whilst the Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy (VISTA) sits on the adjacent peak to the right.