Portuguese astrophotographer captures stunning images at the European Southern Observatory

Miguel Claro, member of the international organization TWAN – The World at Night, and official astrophotographer of the Alqueva Dark Sky Reserve – the first reserve in the world certified asa “Starlight Tourism Destination”– has returned from a seven-day photographic expedition to the ESO observatories in Chile. In his luggage, he brings more than 40 gigabytes of stunning images of the observatories and skies of the Chajnantor plateau in the Chilean Andes. 

The expedition received logistical support from FCT (which established the necessary contacts) and from the Portuguese delegation to the European Southern Observatory (ESO) Council, making it the first official Portuguese photographic expedition to ESO. Miguel Claro traveled to Chile with the project coordinator, Apolónia Rodrigues. Together, they visited the ALMA Observatory (Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array), located at an altitude of 5000 meters on the Chajnantor plateau, about 50 km east of San Pedro de Atacama, and the Paranal Observatory, at an altitude of 2600 meters, where ESO's flagship infrastructure, the Very Large Telescope (VLT), is installed.

The ESO was established in 1962 with the aim of promoting European cooperation in the field of astronomy and operating the largest ground-based telescope facilities. Today, it is considered the most productive observatory in the world. The ESO is funded by its Member States, including Portugal, which has been a full Member State since December 2000.

TWAN (The World at Night) is an international effort to showcase beautiful photographs and videos of important world landmarks against the backdrop of the night sky. TWAN is a bridge between art, science, and culture. Miguel Claro is the Portuguese representative in this project.

The Alqueva Dark Sky® Reserve, located around the large Alqueva Lake, became in 2011 the first reserve in the world to obtain the "Starlight Tourism Destination" Certification, awarded by the Starlight Foundation, which has the support of UNESCO and the United Nations World Tourism Organization. Covering a total area of 3000^m², encompassing the municipalities of Portel, Reguengos de Monsaraz, Alandroal, Mourão, Moura, and Barrancos, this certification attests to the unique quality of the night sky for stargazing by amateurs and professionals alike.

More images collected by Miguel Branco are available at ESO's Portuguese website .

(Image credits: Miguel Claro/ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO))