 Overview of some of the telescopes at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory. | |
| Alternative names | ORM  |
|---|---|
| Organization | |
| Observatory code | 950 |
| Location | Garafía,Province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife,Canary Islands, Spain |
| Coordinates | 28°45′49″N17°53′41″W / 28.7636°N 17.8947°W /28.7636; -17.8947 |
| Altitude | 2,396 m (7,861 ft) |
| Established | 29 June 1985 |
| Website | www |
| Telescopes |
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  Location of Roque de los Muchachos Observatory | |
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 Related media on Commons | |
Roque de los Muchachos Observatory (Spanish:Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos,ORM) is anastronomical observatory located in the municipality ofGarafía on the island ofLa Palma in theCanary Islands, Spain. The observatory site is operated by theInstituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, based on nearbyTenerife. ORM is part of theEuropean Northern Observatory.
Theseeing statistics at ORM make it the second-best location for optical and infrared astronomy in theNorthern Hemisphere, afterMauna Kea Observatory,Hawaii. The site also has some of the most extensive astronomical facilities in the Northern Hemisphere; its fleet of telescopes includes the 10.4 mGran Telescopio Canarias, theworld's largest single-aperture optical telescope as of July 2009,[1] theWilliam Herschel Telescope (second largest in Europe), and theadaptive optics correctedSwedish 1-m Solar Telescope.
The observatory was established in 1985, after 15 years of international work and cooperation by several countries, with the Spanish island hosting many telescopes from Britain, The Netherlands, Spain, and other countries. The island provided better seeing conditions for the telescopes that had been moved toHerstmonceux Castle by theRoyal Greenwich Observatory, including the 98 inch apertureIsaac Newton Telescope (the largest reflector in Europe at that time). When it was moved to the island it was upgraded to a 100-inch (2.54 meter), and many even larger telescopes from various nations would be hosted there.
The building of the observatory goes back to 1969, with the start of the Northern Hemisphere Observatory project.[2] After ten years of research on the site there was a big international agreement between several nations to establish an international Observatory at La Palma.[3]
The observatory began operation around 1984 with theIsaac Newton Telescope, which was moved to La Palma from theRoyal Greenwich Observatory site atHerstmonceux Castle inEast Sussex,England. The move was troubled, and it is widely recognized that it would have been cheaper to build a new telescope on-site rather than to move an existing one.
The observatory was first staffed by representatives fromSpain,Sweden,Denmark and theUnited Kingdom. Other countries which became involved later includeGermany,Italy,Norway, theNetherlands,Finland,Iceland, and theUnited States.
The observatory was officially inaugurated on 29 June 1985 by the Spanish royal family and six European heads of state. Four helicopter pads were built at the observatory to allow the dignitaries to arrive in comfort. The observatory has expanded considerably over time, with the 4.2mWilliam Herschel Telescope opened in 1987, theNordic Optical Telescope in 1988 and several smaller solar or specialized telescopes; theGalileo National Telescope opened in 1998 and theGran Telescopio Canarias opened in 2006, with its full aperture in 2009.[citation needed]
A fire on the mountainside in 1997 damaged one of the gamma-ray telescopes, but subsequent fires in September 2005 and August 2009[4] did no serious damage to either the buildings or the telescopes.
In 2016, the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias andCherenkov Telescope Array Observatory signed an agreement to host CTA’s northern hemisphere array at the ORM.
In 2016, the observatory was announced as the second-choice location for theThirty Meter Telescope, in the event that the Mauna Kea site is not feasible.[5]
The ORM has awarm-summer mediterranean climate (Köppen:Csb;Trewartha:Dobk), which is different from the dry climate of the coastal areas. Due to its location at an altitude of 2,223 metres (7,293 ft) and on the windward slope, the precipitation is much higher than that of the coastal areas. The climate is warm all year round, with no extreme heat in summer, but winters below freezing are more common, and frost is frequent from December to April of the following year.
| Climate data for Roque de los Muchachos Observatory Climate ID: C101A; coordinates28°45′21″N17°53′43″W / 28.75583°N 17.89528°W /28.75583; -17.89528; elevation: 2,223 m (7,293 ft); 2019–2024 normals, extremes 2019–present[6] | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 19.2 (66.6) | 20.5 (68.9) | 21.4 (70.5) | 21.4 (70.5) | 24.5 (76.1) | 25.5 (77.9) | 29.3 (84.7) | 29.7 (85.5) | 26.2 (79.2) | 23.8 (74.8) | 19.4 (66.9) | 19.0 (66.2) | 29.7 (85.5) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 9.4 (48.9) | 9.2 (48.6) | 12.1 (53.8) | 13.3 (55.9) | 16.3 (61.3) | 18.5 (65.3) | 24.3 (75.7) | 23.7 (74.7) | 18.7 (65.7) | 16.8 (62.2) | 13.5 (56.3) | 11.0 (51.8) | 15.6 (60.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 6.2 (43.2) | 6.0 (42.8) | 8.3 (46.9) | 9.2 (48.6) | 12.1 (53.8) | 14.4 (57.9) | 20.3 (68.5) | 19.8 (67.6) | 15.1 (59.2) | 13.9 (57.0) | 10.3 (50.5) | 8.0 (46.4) | 11.9 (53.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 2.9 (37.2) | 2.7 (36.9) | 4.6 (40.3) | 5.1 (41.2) | 7.9 (46.2) | 10.4 (50.7) | 16.2 (61.2) | 15.9 (60.6) | 11.3 (52.3) | 10.3 (50.5) | 7.0 (44.6) | 4.8 (40.6) | 8.2 (46.8) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −4.1 (24.6) | −3.7 (25.3) | −3.1 (26.4) | −3.4 (25.9) | −1.3 (29.7) | 3.7 (38.7) | 9.4 (48.9) | 8.1 (46.6) | 4.6 (40.3) | 0.9 (33.6) | −1.3 (29.7) | −0.9 (30.4) | −4.1 (24.6) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 111.0 (4.37) | 78.6 (3.09) | 69.4 (2.73) | 39.2 (1.54) | 5.9 (0.23) | 43.5 (1.71) | 0.0 (0.0) | 4.5 (0.18) | 19.0 (0.75) | 19.1 (0.75) | 74.1 (2.92) | 74.6 (2.94) | 538.5 (21.20) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.1 mm) | 6.67 | 7.67 | 6.25 | 4.75 | 2.75 | 3.25 | 0.00 | 1.25 | 4.50 | 3.75 | 6.00 | 8.60 | 55.43 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 54 | 58 | 37 | 45 | 32 | 33 | 21 | 26 | 45 | 39 | 46 | 52 | 40 |
| Percentagepossible sunshine | 73 | 75 | 81 | 85 | 86 | 86 | 88 | 87 | 80 | 82 | 76 | 69 | 81 |
| Source:State Meteorological Agency/AEMET OpenData[7][8] | |||||||||||||
The Spanish island is host to the premiere collection of telescopes and observatories from around the World, for the northern hemisphere excluding the Hawaiian islands which has a different mix of telescopes. The 10.4 meter Grand Telescope Canarias is the largest single aperture for an astronomical observatory in the world.
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