Telescope Tourist: Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos

Back in 2007 I had the opportunity to attend the Starlight Conference on the island of La Palma, a member of the Canary Islands. While I was there I gave a talk on Palomar Observatory and light pollution. 

That's me, at right.

I also had a chance to visit the summit of the mountain and the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory.

The view from the summit, located 2426 meters above sea level, was one of the most spectacular places I've ever visited. The observatory is located a bit lower in elevation and contains an impressive array of world-class telescopes.

Here I am with the MAGIC Telescope.

Our first stop was the 17-meter MAGIC Telescope. It is an giant array of 270 mirrors that work together as one telescope mirror (effectively the world's largest) much like the VERITAS telescopes at Whipple Observatory.  The telescope isn't used to image astronomical objects in the conventional sense, rather it is used to detect the Cherenkov radiation light from particle showers that are produced as high energy gamma rays smack into our atmosphere. The data helps astronomers to study gamma-ray bursts, supernovae, black holes and other astronomical objects.

As you can see, MAGIC has no dome. It is out there in the elements, something that takes some getting used to.

During my visit, there was a smaller array next to MAGIC, I believe that it was built to test the concept and is now gone. A second, full-sized, MAGIC telescope was added to the site in 2010.

Our next stop was the 4.2-meter William Herschel Telescope.

Our guides put the telescope through the paces and even gave us a look at its primary mirror:

The telescope is used for studies conducted in visible and near-infrared light.

Looking up from the site of the William Herschel Telescope it was possible to see some other installations at the observatory.

On the left is the 1-meter Swedish Solar Telescope and on the right is the Dutch Open Telescope. Unfortunately, I didn't get a close look at either one.

Another telescope that I only saw from the outside was the 3.6 meter Telescopio Nazionale Galileo.

Thankfully, I did get a wonderfully close look at the 10.4 meter Gran Telescopio CANARIAS.

The silver dome of the GTC

 The GTC is a telescope with a segmented primary mirror, much like the Keck telescope in Hawai'i. I didn't have a wide enough lens to capture the whole thing in one shot. Above is the top of the telescope with the secondary mirror. Panning downward, I took this second photo:

Here you can see several of the thin primary mirror segments and the active optics actuators (white cylinders above the white boxes) that help to keep the segments all pointed and aligned correctly.

This is an even closer look from the side at the mirror segments (at top) and some of the actuators.

Here's the view looking up at the telescope's secondary mirror.

Looking down on the dome of the GTC, clouds and the Atlantic Ocean.

The GTC was still under construction during our visit. First light for the telescope took place later in 2007 (with only some of the mirror segments installed). Full operations began in 2009.

It is always nice to tour an astronomical observatory. The Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos is one of the world's most impressive collection of astronomical telescopes and I am very glad I had the chance to make the visit.

Video: Fred Lawerence Whipple Observatory

I've blogged about the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory before, but here's a cool new video about it. Check it out:

A Visit to Whipple Observatory

Back in September I had the chance to get a detailed tour of the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory on Mt. Hopkins near Amado, AZ (south of Tucson).

The observatory is operated by the Smithsonian Institution and hosts a wide-range of telescopes. Located at the base of the mountain, near the observatory's visitor center is the VERITAS array.

VERITAS (Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System) is an array of four 12-meter telescopes that were built to study gamma rays.  Gamma rays do not penetrate Earth's atmosphere, but the telescope can still study them because the gamma rays collide with particles in our atmosphere which in turn starts a cascade effect that produces Cherenkov radiation that the telescopes can detect.  There are two pairs of two telescopes in the array. Cosmic rays can generate the same kind of radiation, but over a much smaller footprint.  So any detection of Cherenkov radiation that is measured by both telescopes in a pair is confirmed to be a gamma-ray source.

These telescopes are very sensitive to faint light, making them the best of their kind in the world. Be sure to check out their recent results on the Crab Nebula.

Before heading up the mountain I had the chance to check out the visitors center.  Inside there are some great displays including a sample of some of the astronomical ties that used to belong to Fred Whipple.

On the mountain is a varied collection of telescopes including the 10-meter predecessor to VERITAS.  It is no longer used, but there is the opportunity to stand in the focal plane to see your reflection.

Most of the telescopes are located on a ridge that is below the summit. The collection here includes the 1.5-meter (60") Tillinghast telescope.

The night of my visit the Tillinghast was being used to study Type Ia supernovae.

Located right next to the 1.5 meter is a 1.2-meter (48") telescope (above).  The HAT (Hungarian-made Automated Telescope), which is really a collection of small telescopes looking for transiting exoplanets, is also located on this ridge.

Moving up to the summit of Mt. Hopkins it was finally time to visit the MMT Observatory. The MMT, as you may recall, began as the Multiple Mirror Telescope, a telescope that was made up of six 1.8-m (72-inch) mirrors with an effective light gathering power of a 4.5-meter (177 inch) telescope. It looked like this:

In the 1990s it was decided to upgrade the telescope by replacing the six smaller mirrors with a single 6.5 meter primary mirror. This mirror was one of the giant mirrors that are created in the Steward Observatory Mirror Lab. 

MMT Observatory (as it is now called) began operations in 2000 and continues to be one of the most productive research telescopes in the world.

The "dome" that houses the structure was (I believe) the first of its kind.  The entire building rotates to accommodate the motion of the telescope.

I had the great fortune to be in the "dome" when it opened.  Here is a short video clip of the opening:

Inside, standing next to the telescope is an entirely different feeling from other observatories I have visited.  Modern giant telescope mirrors are larger and "faster" than big glass from earlier generations.  This allows the newer telescopes to be both bigger (more light gathering power) and smaller.  Smaller in the sense that the mirrors are more steeply curved so that light comes to a focus sooner.  This allows for a shorter telescope "tube" and a smaller enclosure, which in turn saves money.

The telescope was tipped low for us to see the 6.5 meter primary mirror.

Just before the telescope began operation the lights were dimmed and I could see the stars reflected off of the mirror.  It was an impressive and moving sight.

Light pollution is a growing concern for the observatory. The International Dark-Sky Association has placed sky brightness monitors on the mountain to help study the skies over the observatory.  Monitors, located on Mt. Hopkins and elsewhere, will be used to help protect observatories and other dark sky places from light pollution.

Finally, let me thank Dan Brocious for the wonderful tour. Dan has just retired from Whipple where he will certainly be missed.

Catching Up & Rosemont Mine

It has been a while since I have posted. I guess moving and starting a new job has been quite a diversion.

Speaking of the new job, I now work for the International Dark-Sky Association in Tucson, AZ. In that role, I was recently on the local news speaking about the potential impact to the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory due to lighting from the proposed Rosemont Mine.  The news clip is embedded below:







I recently had the chance to visit Whipple Observatory and will post photos from that visit here soon.