Towers of Flowers

A bumblebee on a tower of jewels (Echium wildpretii). Roque de Los Muchachos
May 20, 2013

Tower of Jewels is one of the common names for Echium wildpretii. Some of the other are red bugloss, Tenerife bugloss or Mount Teide bugloss. The Spanish name is tajinaste grande or tajinaste rojo, although the ones on La Palma can be blue or mauve. The individual flowers are tiny, but the spikes can be anything up to 3 m high. And they’re in flower on the peaks of La…

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Merry Christmas

A very Merry Christmas to you all. (The William Herschel Telescope has a laser to measure atmospheric turbulence, in order to correct for it. But really, it’s very low powered and no danger to flying reindeer. Santa is quite safe.)

December 24, 2012
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The MAGIC telescope

November 24, 2012

Click on the image to read an extract of the book “A Breathtaking Window on the Universe: A guide to the observatory at the Roque de Los Muchachos” on sale December. The recommended retail price is €15, but books bought through the publisher’s website will cost just 12€ + P&P.

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Why La Palma?

Click on the image to read an extract of the book “A Breathtaking Window on the Universe: A guide to the observatory at the Roque de Los Muchachos” on sale December. The recommended retail price is €15, but books bought through the publisher’s website will cost just 12€ + P&P.

November 16, 2012
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