Ariel view of Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), Elqui Valley Region, Chile. CTIO is an investigation center located 2200 meters above sea level. It has seven high technology optical telescopes. It is operated by the Association of Universities for the Research in Astronomy Incorporation (AURA), in association with the National Optical Astronomy Observatories (NOAO), University of Chile and the National Science Foundation.