The La Silla Observatory in the mountainous southern outskirt of the Atacama Desert, Chile. Operated by the European Southern Observatory (ESO), La Silla sits at about 2400 meters above sea level about 150 km northeast of the coastal city of La Serena. La Silla was ESO’s first observatory, inaugurated in 1969. Pictured here in the foreground at the mountain's highest point is the 3.6-metre telescope and its Coudé Auxiliary Telescope.