5 Observatories Built in Extraordinary Landscapes

The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array combines many movable antennas at high altitude in northern Chile. Working together, they function as a much larger instrument for studying cold and distant objects.

ESO's Very Large Telescope consists of four large unit telescopes and smaller auxiliary telescopes in the Atacama Desert. The dry, dark site provides excellent conditions for optical astronomy.

Several observatories occupy the summit region of Mauna Kea, where altitude and stable air support astronomy. The site is also culturally sacred, making stewardship and future use subjects of continuing debate.

The enormous steerable Green Bank Telescope operates in a region where radio transmissions are restricted. The quiet environment helps it detect extremely faint signals from space.

For decades, the Arecibo radio telescope used a vast fixed dish built into the Puerto Rican landscape. The instrument collapsed in 2020, but its scientific and cultural legacy remains significant.