As a night of observations gives way to daybreak, a full moon falls toward the horizon at the European Southern Observatory's Paranal Observatory in Chile's Atacama Desert, one of the driest places on Earth. The four main units of the Very Large Telescope array - Antu, Kueyen, Melipal and Yepun - stand sentry on a plateau like glittering gods. ESO staff member Gordon Gillet captured the scene from 9 miles (14 kilometers) away, while on the road to nearby Cerro Amazones, the peak chosen as the site for the future European Extremely Large Telescope. "Contrary to what one may think, this picture is no montage," the ESO explains in its "Picture of the Week" advisory. "The moon appears large because it is seen close to the horizon, and our perception is deceived by the proximity of references on the ground. In order to get this spectacular close view, a 500mm lens was necessary. The very long focal length reduces the depth of field, making the objects in focus appear as if they were at the same distance. The effect, combined with the extraordinary quality of this picture, gives the impression that the moon lies on the VLT platform, just behind the telescopes, even though it is in fact about 30,000 times farther away."
Moonset over the telescopes
