Latest Roque de los Muchachos Observatory Stories

[ Watch the Video ] With the need to understand global change one of today's most pressing scientific challenges, ESA is exploring novel techniques for future space missions. Firing laser pulses between satellites is promising a step up in tracking greenhouse gases. More renowned for their appeal as holiday destinations, the Spanish Canary Islands recently played host to an experiment that involved shooting laser beams from a peak on La Palma to Tenerife. Over the course of two...

The largest-ever gamma-ray telescope is set to collect its "first light" at an opening ceremony on Saturday.Located on the island of Palma, the Major Atmospheric Gamma-ray Imaging Cerenkov Magic II will replace its predecessor, the Magic telescope. When it was built, the first Magic telescope was the largest gamma-ray telescope in the world, until 2003, when the four-telescope High-energy Stereoscopic System (Hess) was unveiled.Now, Magic's successor will reclaim the title once more, but...