MKMilkyWaypan_pacholka_600WPAP.jpg (JPEG Image, 2788×600 pixels) - Scaled (51. Chandra X-ray Observatory - NASA's flagship X-ray telescope. PantherObservatory. A stargazing tour of Earth's most extreme telescopes. Caitlin Stier, video intern Perched high up on the mountaintops of Northern Chile, the region's powerful telescopes provide unrivalled stargazing conditions for astronomers.
Last month, our chief features editor, Valerie Jamieson, explored the extreme environment that is home to these observatories. You can follow her journey in this narrated slide show. First stop: the Very Large Telescope at Paranal Observatory which is made up of a moving assembly of four giant telescopes and four domed auxiliary telescopes.