Teide Observatory


Teide Observatory

(tay -dee) An observatory at Izaña, altitude 2400 meters, on the island of Tenerife in the Canaries. Facilities are shared by the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (Institute of Astrophysics of the Canaries) with several European countries. There are some major solar telescopes, including the German Vacuum Tower Telescope, which has a 70-cm aperture mirror, focal ratio f/76. The observatory also has eight telescopes for nocturnal use and three instruments or arrays for observing the cosmic microwave background (see VSA). The observatory began operating in 1964. See also Roque de los Muchachos Observatory.