Observación de estrellas con telescopio en el Teide

This stargazing session takes place at nightfall in Teide National Park, at more than 2300 metres above sea level. It begins with a short introduction to the night sky and continues at professional long-range telescopes. During the session you learn to find your way at night without a compass and to pick out the zodiac constellations; in summer one of the arms of the Milky Way is also visible. Under a full moon its glow stops the stars looking as sharp as on darker nights, so the telescopes are turned to the Moon's craters and mountain ranges instead.

The usual meeting point is the base station of the Teide cable car on the TF-21 road at km 43, where you wait in front of a closed barrier until the activity staff arrive; depending on the date and time, the meeting point may differ. The exact time is confirmed the day before. After a 10 minute courtesy wait, late arrivals are not admitted. If the weather does not allow observation, the session may be called off.

The session lasts between 1 hour 15 minutes and 2 hours, with an official guide who speaks Spanish and sometimes runs it in two languages. Night temperatures on Teide can be low, so bring water, comfortable clothes and shoes and a warm layer. It is not wheelchair accessible, and children under 8 and pets are not allowed.

Photo: Curd-Christian Tengeler/IAU OAE, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.