Cerro Armazones facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cerro Armazones |
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Aerial view of the Cerro Armazones
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Highest point | |
Elevation | 3,046 m (9,993 ft) |
Geography | |
Location | Antofagasta Region, Chile |
Parent range | Cordillera Vicuña Mackenna |
Cerro Armazones is a mountain located in the Sierra Vicuña Mackenna of the Chilean Coast Range, approximately 130 km (81 mi) south-east of Antofagasta in the Antofagasta Region, Chile. Before construction started on the European Extremely Large Telescope, the summit was a horizontal control point with an elevation of 3,064 metres (10,052 ft). The new elevation is 3,046 m (9,993 ft). It is located in a privileged zone for optical astronomy because it has 89% cloudless nights a year. It currently hosts the 1.5 m (5 ft) Hexapod-Telescope and other telescopes at the Cerro Armazones Observatory.
On 26 April 2010, the European Southern Observatory Council selected Cerro Armazones as the site for the planned Extremely Large Telescope, and construction began in June 2014.
Gallery
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Carving a route to Armazones, with Cerro Paranal and the Very Large Telescope in the background.
See also
In Spanish: Cerro Armazones para niños