La Laguna

The Teide Observatory, also known as the Izaña Observatory, is located at an altitude of 2,390 meters, in the Izaña massif, on the island of Tenerife, in Spain. This observatory was founded in 1959, installing the first telescope in 1964. The Teide Observatory belongs to the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands (IAC) and is considered by the International Scientific Community as one of the most important observatories in the world. Although initially it was linked exclusively to the University of La Laguna, in 1979 it became international with the signing of cooperation treaties between various countries. The quality of the sky in the Canary Islands and especially in Tenerife, an island certified as a Starlight destination, makes the Teide Observatory one of the three best places in the world for astronomical observation and study of the Universe which, together with the fantastic weather conditions and altitude of the observatory, make it possible for neither light pollution nor clouds to cover the sky. In fact, it is the largest solar observatory in the world. Among its facilities, the Tenerife observatory has a visitor center for scientific dissemination and a residence area for scientific and technical staff. Among the telescopes to his credit are solar telescopes and night telescopes. Solar Vacuum Tower Telescopes (VTT), THEMIS and Gregor that allow studying the characteristics of the solar atmosphere, magnetism and solar instabilities; and night telescopes such as the IAC-80, the TCS infrared telescope, the Mons reflecting telescope, the OGS, the STARE or the robotic Bradford telescopes, STELLA I and STELLA II.