Astronomy Spain

Calar Alto is located in the Sierre de los Filabres, a dozen kilometers from birds to the north of the town of Gergal, in the province of Almería, in Andalusia. It was built under the impetus of the Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie. Initially used mainly by the Germans, the observatory is now also widely used, and therefore financed, by the Spanish. Construction began in 1973 to end a decade later. The site is spread over 100 km ² and remains intact from light pollution. It is now one of the largest astronomical complexes in continental Europe. Five main instruments are available: in addition to telescopes of 3.50 and 2.20 meters, the telescopes are installed under 1.50 and 1.23 meter telescopes, and a very specific Schmidt telescope of 80 centimeters diameter. The studies carried out are diverse, but one of the areas of predilection of observations remains the stars of our Galaxy (chemical composition of the interstellar medium, study of the age of star clusters or search for particular stars). The site on which all this beautiful world is located cannot leave the traveler indifferent… The soil is dry. Cacti are planted here and there. A winding, winding road climbs towards a sky of coronal blue. A real western spaghetti decor! It takes fifty minutes to reach the gates of the observatory. At this altitude, the terrain is replaced by quite dense vegetation, mixing softwood and brush. Very wild, it is the paradise of hikers and mountain bike lovers.

The highlight of the visit is the telescope of 3.50 meters in diameter! Today, essentially dedicated to infrared observations (a technological solution that allows for literally "piercing" certain difficult areas of the Universe), it is maintained, along with other instruments under dome, at a lower temperature than the outside (in order to speed up temperature temperature relative to the decrease in evening temperatures.). This also means that we must cover up when we are in the Chamber, including in the summer. Its main mirror was polished by the famous German company Zeiss, while the total mass of the telescope and its mount avoids the 230 tons! On the weather side, the site has 250 nights per year. What to observe in peace. However, moisture is not so absent that vegetation might let it think: with an average hygrometry of 50%, the sky sometimes reveals some lack of transparency. We can reassure ourselves that this is far enough to offer a high quality sky.

Inaugurated in 1904, this astronomical observatory is perched on Tibidabo Mountain at 415 metres above sea level. Its building is the work of the modernist architect Josep Doménech i Estapà. In the summer, his "dinners under the stars" are an opportunity to enjoy a wonderful meal in front of the illuminated city, then to observe the stars through his 1904 telescope, one of the oldest in Europe in operation. Dinner is accompanied by a lecture on astronomy.

Passionate about astronomy, Stéphane, a Swiss-Brazilian, has created a center dedicated to the subject in the province of Granada. It's the ideal place to observe the sky, thanks to Andalusia's largest astrotourism telescope, which allows you to see not only the classic planets, but also galaxies, nebulae, clusters and more. Your host's good humor will make this experience even more unforgettable. You'll also enjoy a planetarium with dedicated films to deepen your discovery. An activity that can be done in French.

Designed by Juan de Villanueva in 1790, the observatory still houses a magnificent library, a collection of period instruments and an Foucault pendulum, which demonstrates in real time the daily rotation of the Earth. The highlight of the guided tour is undoubtedly the very beautiful reconstitution of the telescope that William Herschel built for the observatory at the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th centuries, which was unfortunately destroyed in 1808 during the Napoleonic occupation.