Portuguese astrophotographer takes 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 to be certified as a "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 gigabits of stunning images, from the observatories and the skies of the Chajnantor plateau in the Chilean Andes. 

The expedition had the logistical support of FCT (which established the necessary contacts) and the Portuguese delegation to the Council of the European Southern Observatory (ESO) being the first official Portuguese photographic expedition to the ESO. Miguel Claro went to Chile with the coordinator of the project, Apolónia Rodrigues. Together, they visited ALMA Observatory (Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array), located at 5000 meters altitude in the Chajnantor plateau, about 50 km east of San Pedro de Atacama, and the Paranal Observatory, at 2600 meters altitude, where the 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 astronomy and operation of the largest terrestrial telescope infrastructure, and is today considered the most productive observatory in the world. The ESO is funded by Member States, including Portugal, 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 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 which has 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 stargazing by amateurs and professionals.

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

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