Cerro Armazones
| Cerro Armazones | |
|---|---|
 Aerial view of the Cerro Armazones | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 3,046 m (9,993 ft) |
| Coordinates | 24°35′21″S 70°11′32″W / 24.58917°S 70.19222°W / -24.58917; -70.19222 |
| Geography | |
| Location | Antofagasta Region, Chile |
| Parent range | Cordillera Vicuña Mackenna |
Cerro Armazones is a mountain located in the Sierra Vicuña Mackenna of the Chilean Coast Range of Andes, approximately 130 km (81 mi) south-east of Antofagasta in the Antofagasta Region, Chile. The mountain is located in a privileged zone for optical astronomy because it has 89% cloudless nights a year.[1] On 26 April 2010, the European Southern Observatory Council selected Cerro Armazones as the site for the planned Extremely Large Telescope (ELT); the construction began in June 2014,[2][3] and the first light is expected in 2027.[4] Before the construction of the ELT began, the elevation of Cerro Armazones had been 3,064 metres (10,052 ft),[4][5] but now the top is truncated and the resulting plateau is several meters lower.
On the neighbouring hill, 1 km (1 mi) to the southwest and 230 m (755 ft) below Cerro Armazones, there is the Polish astrophysical observatory, the Cerro Armazones Observatory, managed by the Nicolaus Copernicus Astronomical Center of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw; observations are conducted by the Araucaria Project.
Gallery
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Supermoon rising up from behind Cerro Armazones.[6]
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Night-time panorama of Cerro Armazones
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Carving a route to Armazones, with Cerro Paranal and the Very Large Telescope in the background.
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Result of the apparent motion of the stars through the southern sky.[7]
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Sunset Cerro Armazones.
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360 panorama.
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After the groundbreaking back in June 2014, work continues on Cerro Armazones in preparation for construction work on the E-ELT.
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The peak of Cerro Armazones appears flattened as efforts continue to craft a platform for the European Extremely Large Telescope.
![Supermoon rising up from behind Cerro Armazones.[6]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a3/Supermoon_beckons_in_the_new_year.jpg/1280px-Supermoon_beckons_in_the_new_year.jpg)
![Result of the apparent motion of the stars through the southern sky.[7]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/62/Ripples_Across_the_Chilean_Sky.jpg/1280px-Ripples_Across_the_Chilean_Sky.jpg)
References
- ^ Schöck, M.; Els, S.; Riddle, R.; Skidmore, W.; Travouillon, T.; Blum, R.; Bustos, E.; Chanan, G.; Djorgovski, S. G.; Gillett, P.; Gregory, B.; Nelson, J.; Otárola, A.; Seguel, J.; Vasquez, J.; Walker, A.; Walker, D.; Wang, L. (1 April 2009). "Thirty Meter Telescope Site Testing I: Overview". Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. 121 (878): 384–395. arXiv:0904.1183. Bibcode:2009PASP..121..384S. doi:10.1086/599287.
- ^ "E-ELT Site Chosen". Europe: European Southern Observatory. 26 April 2010. Retrieved 26 April 2010.
- ^ "Astronomers to blow top off mountain to make way for world's biggest". The Independent. 2014-06-19. Retrieved 2019-07-28.
- ^ a b information@eso.org. "Facts | ELT | ESO". elt.eso.org. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
- ^ Joint Operations Graphic (JPEG) (Map) (1st ed.). 1 : 250,000. 1501. Defence Mapping Agency Topographic Center. 1974. p. Sheet SG 19-2.
- ^ "Supermoon beckons in the new year". www.eso.org. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
- ^ "Ripples Across the Chilean Sky". ESO Picture of the Week. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
External links
- Bird's view on Cerro Paranal and Cerro Armazones
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