On Wednesday August 1st there will be free astronomical activities in Puntallana. At 4:30 pm you’ll have the chance to see the sun safely outside the Casa de Cultura. At 6 pm there’s a talk in planets inside the Casa de Cultura. And at 9:30 pm there’s a chance too see stars at the Salto de Enamorado viewpoint (near San Bartomome’s church.) Come and have fun!
This morning, the moon, Jupiter and Venus lay close together in the east. This photo was taken with a compact camera from Llano de La Venta viewpoint, one of the astronomical viewpoints on La Palma.
Tonight is the biggest meteor shower of the year, the Perseids. In Spanish, they’re called the tears of St Lawrence, because St Lawrence’s day is the 10th. Astrotour will be at La Polvacera basketball court. From 8 – 9 pm they’ll hold workshops and from 9pm to 11:30, observation with telescopes. If there’s low cloud, you’ll get a better view up at one of the astronomical viewpoints. Enjoy!
Today I formally graduated as a Starlight Guide. They held the ceremony at Palacio Salazar in Santa Cruz de la Palma. We had short speeches from the president of the Cabildo (the island government), the head of the Instituto de Astrofisica (the Institute of Astrophysics) and the head of the course, and then they called us up one by one and gave us our diplomas and ID cards. After the…
The castle on the hill above Santa Cruz (to the north) gets its name from the five-yearly festival where they bring the statue of the Virgin Mary down from Las Nieves into Santa Cruz. It’s not much used in between fiestas, but Wednesday 20th April is The World Night in Defence of Starlight, and Astrotour will be holding a Star Party there from 9 pm to 1 am. You’ll be…
