Exploring the Universe

The Roque de los Muchachos Observatory is is located at about 2'300m MSL on the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands. The observatory site is operated by the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, based on nearby Tenerife and is part of the European North Observatory.

 

I captured some of of the main instruments of the site under the Milky Way core during my visit of La Palma.

 

From left to right, the image shows:

- One of the two MAGIC telescopes (Major Atmospheric Gamma Imaging Cherenkov Telescopes). MAGIC detects particle showers released by gamma rays, using the Cherenkov radiation, i.e. faint light radiated by the charged particles in the showers. The MAGIC telescope has a diameter of 17 meters for the reflecting surface.

- The Gran Telescopio Canarias (GranTeCan or GTC), a 10.4 m (410 in) Ritchey-Chrétien reflecting telescope. It is the world's largest single-aperture optical telescope and is used for near-infrared imaging.

- The Large Size Telescope (LST) is a 23 meter reflecting telescope to be featured in the future Northern Site of the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA). The prototype of the LST, called LST-1, finished construction and was inaugurated on October 10th, 2018. LST-1 is currently in the commissioning phase. Three more LSTs are planned to be built, finishing construction in mid 2024.

 

EXIF

Canon EOS Ra

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L ll, @ 50mm

iOptron SkyTracker Pro

Sky:

3 panel panorama, each a stack of 6 x 60s @ ISO1600, tracked

Foreground:

Stack of 6 x 60s @ ISO3200

Done