Night sky observation with telescopes at Llano del Jable

  • On Sunday night, March 18, the Spanish scientists, including ground crew, went up to the mountain to watch the night sky with and without telescopes. Elena and Juan, the astyrophysicians from Adastra, brought two professional telescopes and explained us lots of interesting things, in English..

    We've seen the moon going down, the rainbow colours of Venus, Mercury, the dust of the Orion Belt, the red eye of the Taurus and many more things through the telescopes. We have also put one telescope in the direction of Planet x to, maybe, see the planet..

    Without telesopes we have tried to find some constellations lying on our backs on some blankets. At the end of theactivity, Elena showed us where the constellations are with her amazing, green laser light that has a beam of 2 km!!

    Further below you can see the constellation cards we used. The Spanish scientists ask their Polish friends, if they can see the same consellations in the night sky of Poland.

    Do you know we have a Sky Law?

    The Law of the Sky was approved in the year 1988 and regulates the light pollution in the Island of La Palma and that part of the island of Tenerife that has a direct view from the island of La Palma.
    In addition, it establishes the levels of electromagnetic radiation so as not to interfere with the equipment and measures of the observatories
    protecting them from radio contamination.
    The Law of the Sky also controls the activities that can degrade the atmosphere in the surroundings of the observatories protecting it from
    air pollution and regulates air traffic over observatories avoiding interference by air routes.
    The IAC (Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands) has a Technical Office for the Protection of the Quality of the Sky (OTPC), which
    It guides citizens on how to comply with the law and controls its application.

    Llano del Jable is at 1200m height. It was cold up there!

    Good thing some parents brought hot chocolate and cookies!

    Constellation cards: