93
• Foreign institutions would have the right to the use, free of charge, of any
land necessary for buildings to house their telescopes and instruments, any
such telescopes and instruments remaining the property of their institutions of origin, even should these decide to withdraw from the Treaty.
• The property, and the administration and management of the services of
the Observatories would be the responsibility of the IAC, which would
charge for maintenance and use.
Just as petroleum is measured in barrels of quality crude, the high astronomical quality of the sky is a singular natural resource requiring its own unit
of measure: the ‘number of observing nights’. The more and better the telescopes, and the greater the astronomical quality of the sky and observatory
infrastructures, the more prized is the observing time. So that those unversed
in astronomy may comprehend the importance of the achievements of the
Treaty, it is useful to note that it is normal in similar accords to be granted 5
(at most 10) per cent of the observing time, and that we had obtained 20+5
per cent. In other words, we had obtained a quarter of the total available
observing time, which has been of fundamental importance in the development of Spanish astrophysics. We had gone from having no modern telescopes to availing ourselves of 25 per cent of the observing time on some of
today’s most advanced telescopes, located on an exceptional site. This wealth
of high-quality observing time began to be used as a lever to bring about collaborations between young astrophysicists and the most distinguished authorities in the world. That is how we have reached such a high level in this branch
of science in so short a time. As newcomers, we had been able to use our
celestial capital wisely so that our successors could rise in status.
Attaining these heights was not easy. Even today, many ask how it could
have been done. I believe there were two reasons for our success. First of all,
our partners were fighting against the clock to hold on to the funding they
needed to finish and set up their telescopes. Second, and more importantly,
given the small number of Spanish astrophysicists at the time, our partners
were sure that we would be unable to use such an abundance of observing
time, in which case the excess time would revert to themselves. They were
mistaken; in ten years their own statistics have shown that we were using up
around 40 per cent of the observing time. In 1989 the Isaac Newton Group
of Telescopes reported that 40 per cent of the Group’s scientific production
was owed to observations made with their telescopes by Spanish
astrophysicists.
I must emphasize, particularly now that we are in an age of autonomies and
secessionism in Spain, that in drafting the Treaty we did not fall into the
10 A Multinational Astrophysics Treaty (1960–2014)
• Foreign institutions would have the right to the use, free of charge, of any
land necessary for buildings to house their telescopes and instruments, any
such telescopes and instruments remaining the property of their institutions of origin, even should these decide to withdraw from the Treaty.
• The property, and the administration and management of the services of
the Observatories would be the responsibility of the IAC, which would
charge for maintenance and use.
Just as petroleum is measured in barrels of quality crude, the high astronomical quality of the sky is a singular natural resource requiring its own unit
of measure: the ‘number of observing nights’. The more and better the telescopes, and the greater the astronomical quality of the sky and observatory
infrastructures, the more prized is the observing time. So that those unversed
in astronomy may comprehend the importance of the achievements of the
Treaty, it is useful to note that it is normal in similar accords to be granted 5
(at most 10) per cent of the observing time, and that we had obtained 20+5
per cent. In other words, we had obtained a quarter of the total available
observing time, which has been of fundamental importance in the development of Spanish astrophysics. We had gone from having no modern telescopes to availing ourselves of 25 per cent of the observing time on some of
today’s most advanced telescopes, located on an exceptional site. This wealth
of high-quality observing time began to be used as a lever to bring about collaborations between young astrophysicists and the most distinguished authorities in the world. That is how we have reached such a high level in this branch
of science in so short a time. As newcomers, we had been able to use our
celestial capital wisely so that our successors could rise in status.
Attaining these heights was not easy. Even today, many ask how it could
have been done. I believe there were two reasons for our success. First of all,
our partners were fighting against the clock to hold on to the funding they
needed to finish and set up their telescopes. Second, and more importantly,
given the small number of Spanish astrophysicists at the time, our partners
were sure that we would be unable to use such an abundance of observing
time, in which case the excess time would revert to themselves. They were
mistaken; in ten years their own statistics have shown that we were using up
around 40 per cent of the observing time. In 1989 the Isaac Newton Group
of Telescopes reported that 40 per cent of the Group’s scientific production
was owed to observations made with their telescopes by Spanish
astrophysicists.
I must emphasize, particularly now that we are in an age of autonomies and
secessionism in Spain, that in drafting the Treaty we did not fall into the
10 A Multinational Astrophysics Treaty (1960–2014)