The Spanish version of my guide to the observatory, “Una espectacular ventana al universo: guía del observatorio astrofisico del Roque de los Muchachos” has arrived. You can buy it from this page and bookshops and tourist shops on the island. “Una espectacular ventana al universo: guía del observatorio astrofisico del Roque de los Muchachos” por Sheila M Crosby ha llegado y está a la venta desde esta página y algunos…
The astronomical viewpoint at Fuencaliente has three (modern) standing stones, where the shadow of the setting sun points to another stone at (respectively) the summer solstice, both equinoxes, and the winter solstice. Tomorrow night (Wednesday) there will be a free activity run by Cielos La Palma at the viewpoint, starting at 6:30 pm to watch the sunset, followed by astronomical observations including another chance to see comet PanSTARRS through…
Update: The activity has been cancelled due to bad weather. Astrotour are offering the chance to see comet Pan-STARRS through a telescope for free. You just have to turn up at Mirador de las Brujas on Saturday 16th at 7pm, but be sure to bring warm clothes (it’s over 4,000 ft) and something to eat. Hot drinks are probably a good idea too. It’s also a good idea to bring…
Comet C/2011 L4 (PANSTARRS) was discovered in June 2011. At that time it was a long way from the sun and very faint. Now it’s closer to the sun than the Earth, and it’s bright enough to see with the naked eye. This week you can see comet Panstarrs (C/2011 L4) near the horizon in the west, about 40 minutes after sunset. It’s close to the moon, so the…
Nicolaus Copernicus was born in Torun, Poland on February 19, 1473. From the ancient Greeks, everyone in Europe believed that the Earth was the centre of the universe. The great work of Copernicus De revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium (On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres), published in 1543, showed that the sun was at the center. You can see evidence of this yourself with binoculars or a small telescope. Both…
Asteroid 2012 DA 14 from Daniel López on Vimeo. Daniel Lopez of the IAC filmed Asteroid 2012 DA 14 from 21:00 to 22:46 UT on 15/02/2013 from the Observatorio del Teide. Strong wind gusts of 55km / h make the image shake. Credit Daniel Lopez: Cielo de Canarias Asteroid 2012 DA 14 from Daniel López on Vimeo. Daniel López del IAC hico un seguimiento del asteroide 2012 DA 14 desde…