The island of a million stars

La Palma is a privileged place for astronomy. The low population and the lack of cities, big roads and industries, mean that the effect known as “light pollution” is minimal. The trade wind flows over the island like a smooth wave, removing all traces of dust and pollen. The result is an exceptionally clean and transparent air. Also, the very shape of the island contributes to creating a stable atmosphere, as there are no jagged mountain peaks on the island which would break up the air flow and create turbulences.

This combination of factors are just some of the reasons why we find here the most important observatory of the Northern Hemisphere, the ENO (European Northerly Observatory), or as it is simply called on La Palma, the Observatory of the Roque de Los Muchachos. The first sight-tests were effectuated 1972 and the result of these tests was that both the English and the Swedish governments decided to put instruments here. The contracts were signed 1979, and the very first thing was to build a road to give access to the mountain. The first telescope to be finished was the Solar Telescope build by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, where observations began 1982.

Somewhat later, England brought its Isaac Newton telescope from London and build, in collaboration with Holland, the William Herschel and the Jacobus Kapteyn telescopes. The official inauguration was in july 1985, and since, the site has grown to encompass some twenty installation with the collaboration of sixty countries.

Thanks to the presence of the telescopes and the labour of Fransisco Sanchez, founder of the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canaries (IAC), a ground-breaking ecological law known as the “Sky Law” was created, through which the night sky is protected through modifications and improvements in the public lighting. La Palma is a pioneer in this type of actuations, which have not been implanted anywhere else until twenty years later. This effort has not been in vain, as it is demonstrated by the fact that La Palma was chosen as the site for the construction of the world’s biggest telescope, the GRANTECAN (Gran Telescopio Canario, or Large Canarian Telescope).

But you don’t need to travel all the way to the top of La Palma to see the stars. Even in the mid-sized villages, the night sky is overwhelming. And immediately when you retire a little from the populated areas, you can really enjoy one of Nature’s most amazing marvels. The luminosity of the stars is so intense that you can walk without a torch. The constellations are very easy to identify, and the planets shine with a brilliant, intensive light.


We propose to sacrifice a couple of hours of sleep some night in order to explore the Cosmos. We will talk about the constellations and about the role they have had in the development of the human cultures. With a variety of optical instruments we will then observe different types of objects, such as open and globular clusters, double stars, nebulosae and galaxies, the moon and whatever planets that might be visible.