to its 89% cloudless nights annually. On 26 April 2010, the European Southern Observatory Council selected Cerro Armazones as the site for the planned Extremely Large Telescope (ELT); construction commenced in June 2014. The first light observation is scheduled for 2027.

Prior to ELT construction, Cerro Armazones had an elevation of 3,064 m, but the resulting plateau now stands several meters lower after the summit was truncated during