The observatory in bloom
The whole hillside at the Roque de Los Muchachos is in bloom. But where heather moors go purple, The peaks of La Palma go yellow with sticky broom (Adenocarpus viscosus, or codeso in Spanish) and...
View ArticleWhy the observatory is on La Palma
This is Chapter 2 of “A Breathtaking Window on the Universe: a guide to the observatory at the Roque de los Muchachos”.
View ArticleA Visitor Centre for the Observatory, and Starmus 2016
After 30 years, the Observatory at the Roque de Los Muchachos is finally going to have a visitor centre. I believe that the plans were finalised in 2008, and then put on hold because of the banking...
View ArticleThe Large Size Telescope has a (baby) Pier
Today I had a group in the GTC. As I left, I could see people working at the LST site, but I couldn’t see what they were doing. It turns out that the LST has the beginnings of a pier – the central...
View ArticleProgress on the LST, 4th October
And now we have the concrete for the azimuth ring poured, and things being installed on top of it. They’ve also done over half of the retaining wall.
View ArticleProgress on the Roque Visitor Centre
They’re certainly making progress on the new Visitor’s Centre for the observatory, although it’s not due to be finished for another 18 months.
View ArticleIce at the Roque
Yesterday I went to work as a tour guide at the observatory. At 9a .m. it was 6 ºC, but the ice from overnight was still there, glistening inthe sunlight. Fortunately the road was almost completely clear.
View ArticleThe European Solar Telescope is coming here
The location for The European Solar Telescope (EST) has just been announced: it will be built at the Roque de Los Muchachos on the island of La Palma, close to the Swedish Solar Telescope (SST) and the...
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