201
A large infrared telescope that could see what could not be seen by the
human eye and could be pointed by members of the public drew attention to
the Pavilion of the Canary Islands. In the Pavilion of the Future, astronomical
objects could be seen in various wavelength ranges of the electromagnetic
spectrum. The public could view through windows galaxies in three dimensions, send messages to outer space, and even ‘listen in’ to the echo of the Big
Bang in which the Universe began.
All of this was possible because we were already embarked on the building
of the Museum of Science and the Cosmos, and because both Museum and
IAC staff, captained by Ignacio García de la Rosa, became heavily involved,
residing for long periods in Seville.
Our efforts were crowned by the installation of an 18-m parabolic antenna,
covered with a huge IAC insignia, next to the Pavilion of the Future and large
models of space rockets. With the antenna, visitors could send messages while
receiving a written communication indicating the distance of the object to
which their message had been sent and the time it would take for a reply to be
received.
The antenna was raised two days before the inauguration of Expo ’92, but
when the exhibition supervisor and his team saw the enormous IAC insignia
that covered it completely, they raised a storm. It turned out that it was forbidden for shields and anagrams of the participants to exceed two metres in
width, and ours measured 18 metres. It had taken an enormous crane and two
days’ work to set the antenna on its base, and had cost 2,000,000 pesetas
(12,000 euros). There was no time to erase the IAC’s insignia, and what finally
persuaded them to relent was my explanation that the insignia was not propaganda but a simple requirement that all IAC telescopes carry the Institute’s
insignia. In fact, the telescope remained there for many years, and the IAC
insignia could be seen from aeroplanes flying over Seville.
Along the same lines, in 2000 the IAC participated in the Pavilion of Spain
at the Hannover Universal Exhibition with a noteworthy exhibit bearing the
title ‘The Island of La Palma: Look at the Sky and Save the Earth’. This exhibit
had clear repercussions on tourist visits to La Palma from Central Europe.
Apart from these grand exhibitions, the IAC has participated in and organized many more, which it would be otiose to itemize here. Suffice it to say
that a determination to inform and spread knowledge underlay all these activities. In the same spirit we have organized various competitions for photography, astronomical observing, essays, etc.
But it has not been success all the way. Ever since the 1985 inaugurations
we have been trying to arrange for a visitors’ centre to be erected at both of the
IAC’s Observatories; comfortable and pleasant venues in which to relax and
20 Bringing Astronomy to the Public (1986–Present)
A large infrared telescope that could see what could not be seen by the
human eye and could be pointed by members of the public drew attention to
the Pavilion of the Canary Islands. In the Pavilion of the Future, astronomical
objects could be seen in various wavelength ranges of the electromagnetic
spectrum. The public could view through windows galaxies in three dimensions, send messages to outer space, and even ‘listen in’ to the echo of the Big
Bang in which the Universe began.
All of this was possible because we were already embarked on the building
of the Museum of Science and the Cosmos, and because both Museum and
IAC staff, captained by Ignacio García de la Rosa, became heavily involved,
residing for long periods in Seville.
Our efforts were crowned by the installation of an 18-m parabolic antenna,
covered with a huge IAC insignia, next to the Pavilion of the Future and large
models of space rockets. With the antenna, visitors could send messages while
receiving a written communication indicating the distance of the object to
which their message had been sent and the time it would take for a reply to be
received.
The antenna was raised two days before the inauguration of Expo ’92, but
when the exhibition supervisor and his team saw the enormous IAC insignia
that covered it completely, they raised a storm. It turned out that it was forbidden for shields and anagrams of the participants to exceed two metres in
width, and ours measured 18 metres. It had taken an enormous crane and two
days’ work to set the antenna on its base, and had cost 2,000,000 pesetas
(12,000 euros). There was no time to erase the IAC’s insignia, and what finally
persuaded them to relent was my explanation that the insignia was not propaganda but a simple requirement that all IAC telescopes carry the Institute’s
insignia. In fact, the telescope remained there for many years, and the IAC
insignia could be seen from aeroplanes flying over Seville.
Along the same lines, in 2000 the IAC participated in the Pavilion of Spain
at the Hannover Universal Exhibition with a noteworthy exhibit bearing the
title ‘The Island of La Palma: Look at the Sky and Save the Earth’. This exhibit
had clear repercussions on tourist visits to La Palma from Central Europe.
Apart from these grand exhibitions, the IAC has participated in and organized many more, which it would be otiose to itemize here. Suffice it to say
that a determination to inform and spread knowledge underlay all these activities. In the same spirit we have organized various competitions for photography, astronomical observing, essays, etc.
But it has not been success all the way. Ever since the 1985 inaugurations
we have been trying to arrange for a visitors’ centre to be erected at both of the
IAC’s Observatories; comfortable and pleasant venues in which to relax and
20 Bringing Astronomy to the Public (1986–Present)