Installing the central tower of the Extremely Large Telescope

The central tower that will hold some of the world’s most sophisticated mirrors is now installed on ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT). The tower is 3 storeys tall and has to be as rigid and lightweight as possible – a true feat of engineering. The tower will hold 3 of the ELT's 5 mirrors; they will correct the blur caused by atmospheric turbulence and relay the light to the scientific instruments by the side of the telescope.