Snow at the Observatory today
This is wht the MAGIC webcam is showing tonight. Very Christmassy, don’t you think?
telescopes
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…
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…
“A Breathtaking Window on the Universe” on sale!
“A Breathtaking Window on the Universe” has arrived on La Palma, and is on sale at the following outlets: Santa Cruz de La Palma: Librería Trasera (Calle Trasera) Papiro Libros (Calle Real) Molina Artesania (Calle Real) The Best of La Palma (Calle Real) Los Llanos María Luasteida Rodríguez Cabello (The souvenir shop at the bottom of the church square) Breña Alta: Museo del Puro I hope to arrange more outlets…
The MAGIC telescope
Click on the image to read an extract of the book “A Breathtaking Window on the Universe: A guide to the observatory at the Roque de Los Muchachos” on sale December. The recommended retail price is €15, but books bought through the publisher’s website will cost just 12€ + P&P.
Why La Palma?
Click on the image to read an extract of the book “A Breathtaking Window on the Universe: A guide to the observatory at the Roque de Los Muchachos” on sale December. The recommended retail price is €15, but books bought through the publisher’s website will cost just 12€ + P&P.