Canary Islands
We had thought it would be fun to see the large, professional telescopes in the Canary Islands, so when Sky & Telescope Magazine advertised a trip there, we signed up. We traveled to the very rocky islands of La Palma and Tenerife in September of 2023. The Canary Islands, off the northwest coast of Africa, belong to Spain.
We toured the large telescopes, located at the highest points of each island. The Roques de los Muchachos Observatory is on the island of La Palma at an elevation of 8,189 ft. and has a total of 21 telescopes. The Teide Observatory is on the Island of Tenerife at 7,841 ft. with 16 telescopes.
The Gran Telescopio Canarias is located at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory. It is a 10.4 meter reflecting telescope and is the world's largest single aperture optical telescope. In the same area, we visited the William Herschel Telescope. Although it is a mere 4.2 meters, it was the third largest of its kind in 1987 when it was built. It is known for being the telescope that first saw evidence of the black hole in the center of our galaxy (Sag A). Another telescope is the MAGIC Telescope which is composed of segmented mirrors and has a diameter of 17 meters. It is used to detect very high energy gamma rays in a range of energies where no other telescope in the world can operate.
The Teide Observatory is known for its study of the interior of our star, the Sun. The 1.5 Meter GREGOR, one of three solar telescopes at the observatory, is the best European solar telescope. We visited the QUIJOTE Telescopes, a pair of telescopes which characterize the polarization of the cosmic microwave background of the universe.
We toured the large telescopes, located at the highest points of each island. The Roques de los Muchachos Observatory is on the island of La Palma at an elevation of 8,189 ft. and has a total of 21 telescopes. The Teide Observatory is on the Island of Tenerife at 7,841 ft. with 16 telescopes.
The Gran Telescopio Canarias is located at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory. It is a 10.4 meter reflecting telescope and is the world's largest single aperture optical telescope. In the same area, we visited the William Herschel Telescope. Although it is a mere 4.2 meters, it was the third largest of its kind in 1987 when it was built. It is known for being the telescope that first saw evidence of the black hole in the center of our galaxy (Sag A). Another telescope is the MAGIC Telescope which is composed of segmented mirrors and has a diameter of 17 meters. It is used to detect very high energy gamma rays in a range of energies where no other telescope in the world can operate.
The Teide Observatory is known for its study of the interior of our star, the Sun. The 1.5 Meter GREGOR, one of three solar telescopes at the observatory, is the best European solar telescope. We visited the QUIJOTE Telescopes, a pair of telescopes which characterize the polarization of the cosmic microwave background of the universe.
Teide Observatory