On on 5 and 6 June 2012, the planet Venus will pass in front of the sun in what’s called a transit. The last one took place in June 2004, and the next one won’t happen until December 2117. If you’re in the USA or Canada, the transit will be in progress at your sunset on June 5th. If you’re in the UK or Germany or North-east Spain, the transit will…
There’s a great exhibition about the Earth and Mars in Palacio Salazar in Santa Cruz de La Palma until Saturday May 26th. It features scale models of the two planets, lots of great photos of Mars, and explains the similarities and differences in geology, atmosphere and weather, and hydrology. Even better, they have a genuine meteorite from Mars which you can actually touch. The exhibition is open from 9 am…
Palacio Salazar in Santa Cruz de La Palma is hosting a great exhibition on the Earth and Mars until May 26th. It features lots of great photos of Mars, and explains the similarities and differences in geology, atmosphere and weather, and hydrology. Even better, they have a genuine meteorite from Mars. Did you know that a day on Mars lasts 24.6 hours compared to our 24? And the axial…
This is the cover design for my ebook, “A Breathtaking Window on the Universe: a guide to the Roque de Los Muchachos Observatory”, which should be on sale by late summer or autumn of 2012. It explains why the observatory is on La Palma and how a telescope and its instruments work, and gives details of each telescope, plus many anecdotes and over 60 photos. I’ll be posting full details…
La Palma’s tourist board has released this video about astro tourism on the island: Turismo de las Estrellas
The astronomical viewpoint in Tijarafe is now open. It’s easy to find, right beside the main road (the LP1) at km 83, which is about 2 km north of the main village of Tijarafe, right beside a restaurant with a good reputation. It’s not the darkest viewpoint, but it must have a terrific view of the sunset. Each astronomical viewpoint on La Palma has information panels, and those at…