So I finally took a group around the Roque on Friday, my first group for a year. It was a bit complicated because nobody can take groups inside telescopes due to COVID, so I had to get creative. I met them at the heliports and showed them the gamma-ray telescopes, then we went up to the Roque and hiked to the Isaac Newton, stopping at the old goat-herders cabins and…
I had two days of fun work with the Japanese Broadcasting Corporation. They’re making a program on Gamma Ray Bursts, but while they were here they wanted some historical stuff too. We filmed at the INT and WHT but also at an archeological site that marks the summer solstice and behind the JKT where the first British site testers mounted a telescope. As I say, it was fun. They…
On Thursday it was icy up at the observatory. There were ice flowers on the car windows outside the residencia, ice on the bushes and ice on the grass. In other news, I think I’ll finish writing the guide book by the end of the month. There’ll still be layout and proofs and the Spanish version, but finishing the writing will feel really good.
I needed one last photo of the MAGIC telescope for my guide book update, so I went up to the observatory just before sunset. I got what I needed for the book, and I also saw the setting sun sparkling between the segments of the Large-Sized Telescope mirror. I really hope that I’m going to finish writing the book update next week. That’ll still leave layout, proof-reading, corrections and printing,…
I had a fun job today, helping a German company called “Bewegte Zeiten Filmproduktion” film a couple visiting the Roque. I met them in the port and we drove up together. Of course what you see on screen doesn’t just happen. The cameraman sat beside the driver and turned around to photograph the couple. That meant that the producer had to duck out of the shot. Then we got out…
I’ve had a very busy few days. I’ve now finished my course and renewed my starlight guide qualification. I’ve been the guide for 3 cruise ship excursions and three film crews. Well, one lot was scouting for locations to use in an upcoming film, and for the first time I saw the ventilation tunnels under GTC. They’re wonderfully atmospheric, and I think I might write a murder down there one…