There is a new astronomical viewpoint above Mazo at Las Toscas. Like the others, it has parking space, level ground suitable for tripods, a signpost pointing to the pole star, and an information panel. This one has information about noctural wildlife on La Palma: bats, owls and crickets. It’s well away from street lights, although it does give a great view down to the island’s airport. To get there,…
La Palma has lots of lovely viewpoints, and I just discovered a new one, at Montaña de las Toscas above Mazo. It has wonderful views up to the central ridge, and down towards Santa Cruz and the airport. If you think you can see a long way during the day, come back at night! This is one of the island’s astronomical viewpoints, so there are information panels explaining the night…
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…
Me and the Superwasp follow-up telescope. Last night I went up to the Roque to photograph telescopes at sunset. The time rather snuck up on me, so I left in a hurry and a bad mood, worried that I’d drive up (200 hairpin bends and about 75 minutes each way) and not get any photos after all. As it turned out, I got arrived with about five minutes to spare….
Galaxy M 83 Want to learn about amateur astronomy on La Palma? Well, at last, my new website is open for business. Star Island is designed to be a window on the universe, and a show case for astrotourism on La Palma. In future, I hope to sell advertising on the site, but for now, it’s just for people to enjoy. The Cat’s Eye nebula
Mercury is the planet nearest to the sun. In fact, it’s so close that it whizzes around its orbit in just under 88 days. Because it’s closer to the sun than we are, we always see it close to the sun in the sky, making it difficult to observe. But tonight (Tuesday 19th July) it will be at its maximum distance, 27º away. Look for a small star in the…