Portuguese astrophotographer takes stunning images at the European Southern Observatory

Miguel Claro, a member of the international organization TWAN - The World at Night, and the official astrophotographer of the Dark Sky Alqueva Reserve - the first reserve in the world certified as a "Starlight Tourism Destination", has returned from a seven-day photographic expedition to the ESO observatories in Chile. He brought back more than 40 gigabytes of stunning images of the observatories and the skies of the Chajnantor plateau in the Chilean Andes. 

The expedition had the logistical support of the FCT (which established the necessary contacts) and the Portuguese delegation to the Council of the European Southern Observatory (ESO) and was the first official Portuguese photographic expedition to the 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 the ESO's flagship infrastructure, the Very Large Telescope (VLT), is installed.

ESO was set up in 1962 with the aim of promoting European cooperation in the field of astronomy and operating the largest infrastructure of ground-based telescopes, and is today considered the most productive observatory in the world. ESO is funded by the Member States, including Portugal, which has been a full Member State since December 2000.

TWAN (The World at Night) is an international effort to show 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 Dark Sky® Alqueva Reserve, located around the great Alqueva Lake, became in 2011 the first reserve in the world to obtain the "Starlight Tourism Destination" Certification, awarded by the Starlight Foundation with the support of Unesco and the United Nations World Tourism Organization. With 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 amateur and professional stargazing.

More images taken by Miguel Branco are available on the ESO's website.

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