Roque de los Muchachos Observatory

roque-de-los-muchachos-observatory

Description

At Roque de los Muchachos Observatory (ORM), on the rim of the Taburiente National Park, at 2396 metres above sea level in the municipality of Garafía (La Palma) stands one of the largest arrays of telescopes in the world.

Because of the sky above La Palma, this observatory enjoys exceptional conditions for astronomical research, for this reason, it continues to attract giant telescopes of the future, as well as the new generation of Cherenkov telescopes, designed to study the Universe in very high energy gamma rays.

The site currently hosts the largest optical-infrared telescope in the world, along with twenty other telescopes and instruments for various kinds of studies, including nocturnal observations, robotic observing, solar physics, and high energy astrophysics.  

Great advances in the study of the Universe have been made with these telescopes, ranging from the detection of the most distant galaxy to confirmation of the existence of black holes and the accelerated expansion of the Universe.

Aside from its scientific activities, the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias carries out numerous outreach tasks in an effort to ensure that astronomical knowledge reaches the public at large. For this purpose, at various times of the year school and group visits are arranged to its observing facilities at Roque de los Muchachos Observatory and Teide Observatory.

The Roque de los Muchachos Observatory Residence has a number of facilities (diurnal and nocturnal dormitories, kitchen, dining room, reception, lounges, games, etc.) to fulfil the needs of all the scientific and technical staff link to the Observatory.

 

Address

Carretera al Roque de los Muchachos, s/n

38728 Villa de Garafía, Santa Cruz de Tenerife

Contact

Phone number
(34) 922 405 500
Fax
(34) 922 405 501
Email
orm [at] iac.es
Surface
189.00 hectares
Altitude
2396.00 m.

Geographical coordinates

Latitude
28°45'22" N
Longitude
17°53'30" W

Facilities

The Roque de los Muchachos Observatory has the following facilities:

Roque de los Muchachos facilities
Accommodation

Residence with 29 rooms (24 single and 9 double)
Annexe with 27 rooms (6 single and 21 double)

Vehicles

3 four-wheel drive
1 saloon
1 lorry  (snow clearing and firefighting)

Heliports

4

Energy

X power generators
X transformers

Communications

VoIP
10 Gpbs data network (WDM technology)
34 Mbps backup radio link
Wifi
1 Gbbps and 100 Mbps (according to need) fibre-optic connections to the telescopes

Other facilities

Office area
Meeting room with videoconference facilities
Electronics laboratory
Mechanical workshop
Store room
Garages
Machine room
Soldering workshop
Petrol station