Snow at the Observatory today
This is wht the MAGIC webcam is showing tonight. Very Christmassy, don’t you think?
observatory
Snow and ice
People associate the Canary Islands with sunshine for good reason. But the Canary Islands at beach level is one thing, and the Canary Islands at 8,000 ft (2,400 m) is another. In the middle of winter, Mt Teide often has snow, and the top of La Palma can have snow and ice too.
Merry Christmas 2013
Have a wonderful Christmas, (or whatever else you celebrate). I hope 2014 brings you whatever you most hope for.
The William Herschel Telescope
The William Herschel Telescope at sunset. . The William Herschel Telescope was for many years the biggest and best optical telescope in Europe (until GranTeCan opened in 2009). The main mirror is 4.2 m across (165″, or 13′ 9″) which astronomers call “a good light bucket”. It’s rather old as world-class telescopes go, since it opened in 1987, but it still produced excellent science. In fact data from the WHT…
Where to buy the guide books to the observatory
This guide book is now on sale from the Dragon Tree Publishing website, or from the following shops: Santa Cruz de La Palma Libreria Trasera La Molina Artesania Best of La Palma Papiro Libros Casa Fideo San Pedro Museo del Puro Libreria la Estrella Los Cancajos Artesania Las Nieves Bazar Costa Souvenir (beside Costa Salinas) Mazo El Molino Casa Roja/Belmaco Los Llanos Maria Luisa (Just below the church) Tijarafe El…
Canadian Stargazers
I got a couple of day’s work looking after some Canadian visitors to the island. (Actually they’re Americans who’ve lived in Canada for a long time.) Nice people. They run a hotel called Trout Point Lodge in Nova Scotia, and they’re hoping to start astrotourism over there. They were staying in a hotel I wasn’t previously aware of, the Hacienda de Abajo in Tazacorte. It’s gorgeous – it’s a converted…