- The sky is not consistently blue and transparent all over the world. There are only a few locations that can offer optimal observing conditions that are necessary for modern astronomy
- One of the most recent examples of state-of-the-art technology developed in the Canary Islands is the Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC). It promises to be one of the largest and most advanced instruments of its generation once it debuts in 2007
- The Space Center of the Canary Islands is another important facility found in the islands. Support for many significant international space missions (NASA, ESA, JAXA, etc) are carried out from this center
Presently, there are telescopes and other instrumentation belonging to over 60 institutions from 19 countries at different observation sites in the Canary Islands, making it one of the largest astronomical facilities within the territory of any European country. This long term research tradition and developed infrastructure has led to the development and corroboration of different industrial sectors like optics, electronics, computer science, sensors, new materials, and mechanics.
One of the most recent examples of state-of-the-art technology developed in the Canary Islands is the Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC), which promises to be one of the largest and most advanced instruments of its generation once it debuts in 2007. Its primary mirror consists of a mosaic made up of 36 hexagonal segments interacting with one another, resulting in a functional collecting area equivalent to a conventional mirror of over 34 feet in diameter.
The Space Center of the Canary Islands is another important facility found in the islands. From here, intensive support is given to many international space missions by performing tracking, telemetry and telecommand (TTC), monitoring, control, measurement, ranging calibration operations, as well as receiving, processing, distributing images and data. One example of the success of this space center is its collaboration with the international satellite system COSPAS-SARSAT where it performs search and rescue activities for the Canary Islands and West Africa.
Further information about this area: rd@canary-tech.org
| Organismo | Contacto | E-mail |
| Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias | Jesús Burgos | jburgos@iac.es |
| Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA) | Emilia Melián | estacion.maspalomas@inta.es / melianme@inta.es |