 The dome of the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo near time of sunset | |
| Alternative names | TNG |
|---|---|
| Location(s) | La Palma,Atlantic Ocean, international waters |
| Coordinates | 28°45′14″N17°53′17″W / 28.754°N 17.88814°W /28.754; -17.88814 |
| Altitude | 2,370 m (7,780 ft) |
| Built | October 1993–June 1996 |
| Telescope style | Ritchey–Chrétien telescope |
| Diameter | 3.58 m (11 ft 9 in) |
| Secondary diameter | 0.875 m (2 ft 10.4 in) |
| Collecting area | 12 m2 (130 sq ft) |
| Focal length | 38.5 m (126 ft 4 in) |
| Mounting | altazimuth mount |
| Website | www |
  Location of Galileo National Telescope | |
 Related media on Commons | |
TheGalileo National Telescope, (Italian:Telescopio Nazionale Galileo;TNG;code:Z19) is a 3.58-meterItaliantelescope, located at theRoque de los Muchachos Observatory on the island ofLa Palma in theCanary Islands, Spain. The TNG is operated by the "Fundación Galileo Galilei, Fundación Canaria", a non-profit institution, on behalf of theItalian National Institute of Astrophysics (INAF). The telescope sawfirst light in 1998 and is named after the ItalianRenaissance astronomerGalileo Galilei.
Observations at the TNG can be proposed through the Italian Time Allocation Committee (TAC) which assigns, based on the scientific merit of the proposals, 75% of the available time. The rest of the time is at disposal of the Spanish and international astronomical communities. The TNG is open to new proposals two times a year, typically in March–April and September–October.
The TNG is an altazimuthal reflecting telescope with aRitchey-Chretien optical configuration and a flat tertiary mirror feeding two oppositeNasmyth foci. It has a design derived from theNew Technology Telescope (NTT), anESO 4-meters class telescope located in La Silla (Chile). Therefore, the optical quality of the telescope is ensured by anactive optics system performing real-time corrections of the optical components and compensating, in particular, for the deformations of the primary mirror, which is too thin to be completely rigid.
The interface between the telescope fork and the instruments at both Nasmyth foci is provided by two rotator/adapters. Their main function is to compensate for the field rotation by a mechanical counter rotation. The best quality of the TNG is that all the available instruments are permanently mounted at the telescope. This guarantees flexibility during an observing session, since it is possible to change instrument during the night with a loss of time limited to a few minutes.
The science based on observational data from the TNG is varied. Proposed observing programs go from the study of the planets and minor bodies of theSolar System up to researches of cosmological interest (e.g.large-scale structure of the Universe andsystems of galaxies).
The TNG is equipped with five instruments:
Decommissioned instruments: