Tenerife: This volcanic island is the most effective place for stargazing in Spain

Stargazing provides an immense sense of awe, a cosmic perspective of types. And few higher locations on Earth current that view extra clearly than Tenerife. As Spain’s most populous island, boasts a year-round summer season local weather and seashores that appeal to over 6 million visitors yearly. The island’s magnificence isn’t any secret, however when the solar units and the seashore crowds skinny, one other group emerges: novice astronomers. Thanks to excellent atmospheric situations, excessive visibility, and elevated accessibility and conservation efforts, Tenerife has cemented itself because the nation’s finest location for stargazing. 

Tenerife’s historical past of astronomy

The Guanches, Tenerife’s indigenous inhabitants, arrived roughly 2,000 years in the past and impressed creation myths about f the galaxies. Dwelling in caves and grottos, a lot of their surviving buildings reveal subtle astronomical information, together with markings for solstices and equinoxes.

For the Guanches, stars had been greater than sources of sunshine—they had been sacred guides. Constellations served navigation and timekeeping functions in addition to automobiles to hold mythological tales throughout generations, making certain a longstanding connection to the celebs. 

Centuries later, following the Spanish conquest and the unfold of European astronomy, Tenerife’s trendy journey into the celebs started within the early Sixties with the founding of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC). Today, the IAC is a world-leading heart for astrophysics analysis, working two internationally acclaimed observatories and boasting Europe’s most superior photo voltaic telescopes, the place astronomers have made landmark discoveries, together with the primary detection of brown dwarfs and exoplanet transits.

Best time to go stargazing in Tenerife

“When it comes to the ideal time to stargaze, the reality is that the sky in Tenerife offers excellent conditions year-round,” says Verónica Martín, head of the Communication and Scientific Culture Unit on the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC). “From June to September, the nights are usually warmer, making it the best time to appreciate the center of our galaxy, the Milky Way, in all its splendor.” For optimum darkness, specialists recommend planning visits across the new moon (as soon as a month), when pure gentle air pollution is at its lowest.

However, Martín emphasizes that celestial occasions unfold throughout the calendar yr, with meteor showers as probably the most spectacular. Chief amongst them is the Geminids, which peak every December with over 100 high-intensity, multicolored meteors per hour. Other notable showers embody the Quadrantids in January, identified for his or her vivid fireballs, and the Perseids in August, well-known for lengthy, glowing meteor trails throughout the summer season sky. 

Ideal atmospheric situations

“Teide National Park and the Teide Observatory are a privileged enclave,” says Martin. “Thanks to a unique combination of natural, geographical, and legal factors.”

Towering over the island, Mount Teide—Spain’s tallest peak—appears a becoming guardian of the island’s cosmic historical past and trendy stargazing. Rising greater than 12,198 ft (3,718 meters) above sea degree, the nationwide park and UNESCO World Heritage Site provides unobstructed views of the cosmos. Teide’s elevation, paired with its dry and constant local weather, low ranges of sunshine air pollution, and geographic isolation within the Atlantic, creates near-perfect situations for observing the night time sky.

Among the authorized protections, Martín refers back to the pioneering Canarian Sky Law handed in 1988. “It guarantees the quality of our sky and the defense of the IAC,” she explains. The legislation prioritizes 4 key components important for high-quality astronomical statement: gentle air pollution, radio spectrum interference, air air pollution, and flight paths.

This complete laws has grow to be a world mannequin, one of many first authorized frameworks particularly designed to guard darkish skies. In the a long time since, it has impressed related protections throughout Spain and around the globe.

Best methods to expertise stargazing in Tenerife

Accredited stargazing experiences, corresponding to Night Skies Tenerife and Teide by Night, equally prioritize scientific perception alongside native tradition, pure landscapes, and the sheer surprise of the cosmos. “Guests are guided through the night sky using laser pointers and professional telescopes, which offer close-up views of planets, star clusters, nebulae, and the moon,” says Leon Belhomme, founder and CEO of Elegant Excursions, the operator of Teide by Night. “We work with local suppliers to support sustainable development in the region and aim to raise awareness about light pollution and its impact on ecosystems and astronomy.”

For these much less inclined to remain up late, the IAC additionally provides daytime excursions of the Teide Observatory, led by educated professionals in partnership with the Volcano Teide group. And for a novel convergence of science and music, Tenerife yearly hosts Starmus—an astrology pageant that brings collectively Nobel laureates, area race heroes, and world-class musicians. Open to the general public, the occasion is a celebration of exploration in all its varieties, remodeling the island into a wonderful amphitheater to look at the cosmic present above. 

An emphasis on conservation and sustainability

As our understanding of the cosmos advances, so too does the necessity for conservation, with Fundación Starlight main the way in which. A Tenerife-based nonprofit based by the IAC, its mission is to guard and defend the sky, specializing in public schooling, sustainable tourism, and conservation by astronomy.

Most notably, their outreach has centered on Teide National Park, broadly thought to be the most effective stargazing location on the island. Fundación Starlight designated the park as one of many world’s few Starlight Reserves—a title granted to locations with distinctive sky high quality and sturdy environmental protections. Additionally, by its Starlight Certification system, Fundación Starlight has developed a framework for what it calls “a new modality of sustainable tourism,” one which ensures astrotourism experiences are delivered responsibly and scientifically.

For occasion, guides at Teide by Night, one in every of Tenerife’s hottest stargazing excursions, are Starlight-certified—a designation that indicators high quality and a dedication to conservation, and a key marker that vacationers ought to search for when searching for astrotourism experiences.