Fantasy Fortress

In this image, taken by ESO Photo Ambassador Gerhard Hüdepohl, ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) resembles a secluded, castle-like fortress — set amidst a landscape that would be right at home in The Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones. The four angular Unit Telescopes of the VLT are visible in this image as the largest structures on the observatory platform. To the right, alone on another peak in the distance, is VISTA, the largest telescope in the world dedicated to surveying the sky at near-infrared wavelengths.