Images: Closest-Ever Alien Planet, the Earth-Size Alpha Centauri Bb

Snow at La Silla Paranal Observatory

Rare snow fell at La Silla Paranal Observatory in Chile's Atacama Desert.

Starry La Silla

Stars appear to rotate around the southern celestial pole at the European Southern Observatory’s La Silla Observatory in northern Chile. The fuzziness in the trails on the right is caused by the Magellanic Clouds, two small galaxies neighboring the Milky Way. The dome at lower left houses ESO’s 3.6-metre telescope and HARPS (High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher). The rectangular building at lower right contains the 0.25-meter TAROT telescope.

Galactic Center Seen from Paranal Observatory

The galactic center as seen from the ESO La Silla Paranal Observatory in Northern Chile.