The ESO 3.6-metre telescope started operations in 1977 and set Europe the exciting engineering challenge of constructing and operating a telescope in the 3–4-metre class in the Southern Hemisphere.

Over the years, the ESO 3.6-metre telescope has been constantly upgraded, including the installation of a new secondary mirror that has kept the telescope in its place as one of the most efficient and productive engines of astronomical research.

The telescope hosts HARPS, the High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher, the world’s foremost exoplanet hunter. HARPS is a spectrograph with unrivalled precision and is the most successful finder of low-mass exoplanets to date.

More details can be found on the telescope page.