The beginning of La Silla

View of La Silla Observatory, under construction in the early 1960s. On the left is the ESO 1-metre Schmidt telescope. At the centre are the personnel quarters, the water tanks, and other facilities. ˆàThis central peak will host the NTT, 20 years later. On the right is the levelled peak that will be the site of the ESO 3.6-metre telescope.