Paranal Observatory in Chile By Kaushik Monday, August 18, 2014 Engineering, Science, South America, Travel No comments Paranal Observatory is an astronomical observatory located on the mountains of Cerro Paranal in the Atacama desert of northern Chile, at an altitude of 2,635 meters, about 120 kilometers south of Antofagasta and 80 km north of Taltal. Far from city lights, hi..