Roque de los Muchachos Observatory
Explanation:
Above the clouds, atop an island off the coast of Africa,
a group of cutting-edge telescopes inspects the universe.
Pictured above are telescopes at
Roque de los Muchachos
Observatory on
La Palma, one of the
Canary Islands,
Spain.
The site is one of the premier observing locations on Earth.
The telescopes pictured are, from left to right, the
Carlsberg Meridian Telescope, the 4.2-meter
William Herschel Telescope, the
Dutch Open Telescope, the
Swedish Solar Tower, the 2.5-meter
Isaac Newton Telescope, and the 1.0-meter
Jacobus Kapteyn Telescope.
Pioneering
observations made recently by these telescopes include
stars and galaxies
forming early
in our universe,
comets breaking up,
and evidence for
planets around
Sun-like stars.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
