MASTER-IAC Observatory, Tenerife

MASTER-IAC Observatory sits high on Tenerife, at the Teide Observatory site in Spain's Canary Islands, one of Europe's premier locations for both solar and night-sky astronomy.

About MASTER-IAC Observatory

MASTER-IAC Observatory is operated by the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) at Izaña, part of the Teide Observatory complex on Tenerife, at an elevation of around 2,390 metres. It forms one node of the Global MASTER-Net, a worldwide array of robotic telescopes.

History

Astronomy at the Izaña site dates back to 1964, when the University of Bordeaux set up the first telescope there; the IAC itself was founded in 1975 under the University of La Laguna, and the site has grown into one of Europe's leading solar observing stations.

Telescopes & research

The Teide Observatory is known for hosting some of Europe's best solar telescopes, including the 1.5-metre GREGOR instrument, alongside the MASTER-IAC robotic unit, which is part of the Global MASTER-Net network run in collaboration with Lomonosov Moscow State University for rapid, automated sky monitoring.

Location & getting there

The observatory sits at high altitude on Tenerife in Spain's Canary Islands, above the cloud layer that often blankets the lower slopes, giving it some of the clearest and most stable air in Europe for both solar and night-time observing.

Visiting MASTER-IAC Observatory

The wider Teide Observatory site run by the IAC offers organised visits and outreach activities; check the institute's website before travelling, since access to the robotic MASTER unit itself is generally restricted to staff.

See your named star from here

Perched above the clouds on Tenerife, this is one of the best-placed sites in Europe to track down a star named through Star Register using its exact coordinates. Look up your star's position any time in the star catalogue.