Florien was the project manager for MAGIC II, the second of the huge Cherenkov telescopes at the Roque de los Muchachos. The telescope was due to be inaugurated next week, on the 19th. That’s been delayed now, because somehow he fell from the prime focus tower in the dark last night. The tower is about ten metres (33ft) high, and Florien’s dead. I only ever had one conversation with him….
GranTeCan (Grand Telescopio Canario / Big Canarian Telescope) at sunset. Some six weeks ago I got permission to take sunset photos at the observatory. But one way and another, there was always something that stopped me going: I was ill, or my husband got home late, or the the air was full of Sahara dust and the sunset would be lousy. Yesterday I finally got up to the Roque at…
Wow, what a week! I can now spout explanations of four new telescopes (although I need to work on the bit about Cherenkov radiation in Spanish) and the general talk about the observatory. It took a lot of practice, and I’m sure I must have looked quite mad, lecturing the bathroom mirror on the short history of Gamma Ray telescopes. But however ridiculous I looked, it worked. By Tuesday, I…
For some time rumours have been circulating around the island’s that Brian May‘s going to give a concert here for the inauguration of the huge, new, Spanish telescope, GranTeCan. Today, the IAC announced that Jean-Michel Jarre has visited the observatories here and at Teide, and will be playing too. My goodness, I think it’s really going to happen. More details at http://www.alphagalileo.org/index.cfm?_rss=1&fuseaction=readrelease&releaseid=530918
For some time rumours have been circulating around the island’s that Brian May‘s going to give a concert here for the inauguration of the huge, new, Spanish telescope, GranTeCan. Today, the IAC announced that Jean-Michel Jarre has visited the observatories here and at Teide, and will be playing too. My goodness, I think it’s really going to happen. More details at http://www.alphagalileo.org/index.cfm?_rss=1&fuseaction=readrelease&releaseid=530918
Last summer and this spring, I got several mornings work as a tour guide, showing people around either the William Herschel Telescope, or the Isaac Newton Telescope. Today was my first go at the new-style open days at the observatory (see my blog about the island) where I have to give a general talk about the observatory first, then take them to the MAGIC telescope (and maybe give the explanations…