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The amount of atmospheric turbulence increases proportionally with the
diameter of the objective of the instrument with which we observe. Our eye,
with its tiny objective, only notices these alterations when the turbulence is
very high. However calm and stable the night, we need only look close to the
horizon to see how the stars flicker and jitter. If we look to the zenith with a
small telescope, we always see the stars twinkling. With a professional telescope several metres in diameter the phenomenon is much more apparent.
Only at exceptional sites, such as Roque de los Muchachos Observatory on
the highest peak of La Palma, do the stars almost cease to twinkle, jitter about,
or merge with one another. Here, the very dark sky is speckled with myriads
of bright points of light that fill it completely. It is an impressive spectacle! At
sites such as this the atmospheric turbulence is very low and the resolving
power of the telescopes located there is greatly improved. That is why today’s
extremely large telescopes are located at such sites as this.
I thought it necessary to begin by explaining all this so that the need to put
telescopes with mirrors greater than 10 m in diameter on the highest peak of
La Palma should be understood. There was also an extremely important strategic reason for placing the GTC at the Roque: without a telescope endowed
with the latest technology, the Observatory would no longer rank among the
top three observatories in the world. Not ranking among the first would lessen
the Observatory’s ability to attract the ever more powerful and advanced telescopes of the future, necessary for doing competitive astrophysics. Fulfilling
the strategic objective of providing the Spanish astrophysical community with
a large telescope would also accord with these considerations.
Apart from these powerful reasons, the building of a large Spanish telescope
would lever the development of advanced scientific instrumentation, which
would produce knock-on effects to boost innovatory technology in the country—one strategic objective more.
It is a source of pride and satisfaction to have achieved these strategic aims.
Roque de los Muchachos Observatory continues to be a very attractive site for
next-generation telescopes; our scientific competitiveness has greatly increased,
and the several dozens of Spanish firms that participated in the construction
of the GTC now have bulging order books for the most advanced scientific
projects of the day, both ground- and space-based. It is also worth noting that
more than 70 per cent of the GTC was built by Spanish companies. That the
remainder was not built here is owed to the timidity of Spanish investors, who
were unwilling to risk building an optics company in spite of the guaranteed
participation of the only firm in the world with experience in this type of
segmented mirror (experience gained in the building of the two 10-m Keck
telescopes). Every time I think back on this I am filled with sadness and anger.
F. Sánchez
The amount of atmospheric turbulence increases proportionally with the
diameter of the objective of the instrument with which we observe. Our eye,
with its tiny objective, only notices these alterations when the turbulence is
very high. However calm and stable the night, we need only look close to the
horizon to see how the stars flicker and jitter. If we look to the zenith with a
small telescope, we always see the stars twinkling. With a professional telescope several metres in diameter the phenomenon is much more apparent.
Only at exceptional sites, such as Roque de los Muchachos Observatory on
the highest peak of La Palma, do the stars almost cease to twinkle, jitter about,
or merge with one another. Here, the very dark sky is speckled with myriads
of bright points of light that fill it completely. It is an impressive spectacle! At
sites such as this the atmospheric turbulence is very low and the resolving
power of the telescopes located there is greatly improved. That is why today’s
extremely large telescopes are located at such sites as this.
I thought it necessary to begin by explaining all this so that the need to put
telescopes with mirrors greater than 10 m in diameter on the highest peak of
La Palma should be understood. There was also an extremely important strategic reason for placing the GTC at the Roque: without a telescope endowed
with the latest technology, the Observatory would no longer rank among the
top three observatories in the world. Not ranking among the first would lessen
the Observatory’s ability to attract the ever more powerful and advanced telescopes of the future, necessary for doing competitive astrophysics. Fulfilling
the strategic objective of providing the Spanish astrophysical community with
a large telescope would also accord with these considerations.
Apart from these powerful reasons, the building of a large Spanish telescope
would lever the development of advanced scientific instrumentation, which
would produce knock-on effects to boost innovatory technology in the country—one strategic objective more.
It is a source of pride and satisfaction to have achieved these strategic aims.
Roque de los Muchachos Observatory continues to be a very attractive site for
next-generation telescopes; our scientific competitiveness has greatly increased,
and the several dozens of Spanish firms that participated in the construction
of the GTC now have bulging order books for the most advanced scientific
projects of the day, both ground- and space-based. It is also worth noting that
more than 70 per cent of the GTC was built by Spanish companies. That the
remainder was not built here is owed to the timidity of Spanish investors, who
were unwilling to risk building an optics company in spite of the guaranteed
participation of the only firm in the world with experience in this type of
segmented mirror (experience gained in the building of the two 10-m Keck
telescopes). Every time I think back on this I am filled with sadness and anger.
F. Sánchez