Calar alto observatory is the largest astronomical observatory in continental europe. It is located in calar alto, a plateau 2168 m high in sierra de filabres (almería, spain).
The Hispano-German Astronomical Observatory of Calar Alto is located in Sierra de Los Filabres, north of Almería (Andalusia, Spain). It is jointly operated by Junta de Andalucía and Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (CSIC) in Granada, Spain. Calar Alto provides three telescopes with apertures of 1.23m, 2.2m and 3.5m. A 1.5m telescope, also located on the mountain, is operated by the Madrid Observatory.
Julio Marín, Technical Engineer in Industrial Electronics from the University of Jaén and Master in Project Management from the UNED, has kindly answered our questions about Calar Alto Observatory.
P: Which telescopes are located in the Center?
The observatory has 4 aperture telescopes 0.80 m, 1.23 m, 3.5 m and 2.2 m.
It also has a 1.52 m telescope, but is operated by the National Astronomical Observatory of Spain and a robotic telescope operated by the Center for Astrobiology (CAB).
The site was initially proposed in 1970, and officially opened in July 1975 with the commissioning of the 1.23-meter (47-inch) telescope developed by the German and Spanish cooperation in astronomy. Subsequently, 4 more telescopes were installed. The Schmidt telescope (0.80m) was transferred to Calar Alto in 1976 from the Bergedorf Observatory, where it had been since 1954.
Q:Why was Mount Calar Alto chosen as location? Who chose it?
In the 1960s, the scientific and political community of the Federal Republic of Germany had the project of equipping itself with world-class astronomical observatories. But to install the best telescopes and produce cutting-edge science with them, they must be placed under top-quality skies, a resource with which nature has not gifted central Europe. Hence, the West German specialists undertook the systematic search for the clearest skies, an adventure that would end up leading to the construction of the facilities of the European Southern Observatory in northern Chile on one hand, and those of Calar Alto on the other (whose quality of sky, the best in Europe, prevailed over other options, like the Greek Peloponnese).
P: How does Calar Alto manage to stay at the forefront of astronomy today?
Astronomical observatories are characterized by the size of the mirrors and also by its associated instrumentation. For years, the CAHA has competed with the rest of the observatories by developing a very specific instrumentation that allows for scientific studies that cannot be done in other places that lack said instrumentation. This is a process that is renewed every 5-6 years through an international selection process and endorsed by our scientific advisory committee to select the best projects, as well as those that best suit the characteristics of the CAHA. This allows us to be on the crest of the wave both in terms of technological developments and in the advancement of world astrophysics: for example, CARMENES, a high-resolution spectrograph for the search for exoplanets. Specifically, this instrument led to the discovery of two exoplanets in orbit around the star Teegarden. It is a red dwarf 8 billion years old (much older than the Sun) and of lower light intensity than our Sun. This discovery had great repercussions worldwide because the two planets are in the habitable region of their star, so they could host life. In addition, they are among the closest planets to Earth of this type that have been discovered so far.
P: To which programs or research of the utmost relevance has the data collected in Calar Alto contributed?
The investigations range from research on the Solar System, with discoveries of new worlds where life as we know it can occur, comets and other minor bodies; to Cosmology, or large-scale study of the Universe, through galaxies and their associations, our own galaxy, the Milky Way, and stars and stellar associations; or the more extensive knowledge of the characteristics of supermassive black holes, responsible for the kinematics of entire galaxies. Undoubtedly, the Calar Alto observatory represents an indispensable tool for the advancement of almost all areas of modern astrophysics.
P: Do you have an outreach program for the population residing close to the observatory? Which entity is responsible for proposing these plans?
The Calar Alto observatory offers the possibility of discovering its facilities to the general public in guided tours that offer knowledge on the history of the Center, the work mode in a modern observatory and the operation of a first-line astronomical telescope. In addition, the Observatory offers the possibility of scheduling special visits to students, researchers and scientists familiar with astronomy. All this is done by the company specialized in astrotourism Azimuth Spain, (www.azimuthspain.es).
P: How did the project to install an INGESCO Previstorm TWS storm detector come about?
The Previstorm that we have installed is part of a larger project, in which the entire electronics department is involved, which consists of a network of redundant sensors, distributed throughout the observatory that monitors all environmental conditions. This network, in turn, is connected to each of the control subnets of each telescope, allowing the domes to be closed in case of sudden change in weather conditions. This idea arose because the motto of the Electronics Department, and of the rest of the technical departments of the observatory is to facilitate the colleagues of the Department of Astronomy to concentrate on what really matters to them and fascinates them, which are the stars "
Q:For what purpose was the Previstorm installed? Does it meet its purpose?
At the beginning of the project, when at the Electronics department we were choosing the possible technological solutions, as soon as we analyzed Previstorm and interacted with your team of professionals, it became clear to us that it was what we needed; and, in fact, we have already worked with you in relation to surge protection in a new dome that is being installed and that will be inaugurated shortly.