Explanation:
Just before
the rising Sun fully illuminated the 2,635 meter
summit of Cerro
Paranal in northern Chile, Gordon Gillet captured
this stunning moonset.
In the telephoto picture, a nearly full October
Moon is silhouetting
the impressive array of telescopes at ESO's Paranal Observatory.
Most prominent from left to right are the four enclosures of the
8.2 meter very large
telescopes christened Antu, Kueyen, and
Yepun almost hiding Melipal.
Fans of Paranal will also note the VLT Survey Telescope at the
far right and the small, white auxilliary telescope domes.
Antu, Kueyen, Yepun, and Melipal
are names taken from
the Mapuche language.
Fittingly they translate to Sun, Moon, Evening Star, and
Southern Cross.
