Tacande Observatory

On the volcanic island of La Palma, near the town of El Paso in the Canary Islands, Tacande Observatory has been turning some of the clearest skies in Europe into striking astrophotography since the mid-2000s.

About Tacande Observatory

Tacande is a private astrophotography facility built in 2005 by Joan Genebriera, who had previously worked at the KVA Telescope elsewhere on La Palma. Rather than a single large instrument, the site runs three telescopes mounted together on a single custom mount, including a 400mm Cassegrain Relay at f/6.5.

Telescopes & research

The three-telescope setup is built for imaging rather than large-scale research, letting visitors capture detailed views of stars, nebulae and other deep-sky objects using La Palma's famously dark and stable skies.

Location & getting there

The observatory sits at around 765 metres elevation near El Paso, on La Palma in the Canary Islands — a location chosen for the same clear, high-altitude conditions that make the island one of the world's premier astronomy sites.

Visiting Tacande Observatory

Public viewing sessions are available at Tacande, where visitors can use the observatory's telescopes to photograph stars, nebulae and other celestial objects. Check the current schedule and booking details through astropalma.com before planning your visit.

See your named star from here

Few places make it easier to actually photograph the night sky than La Palma, and Tacande's telescope setup is built exactly for that. Name a star with Star Register, find its coordinates in our star catalogue, and ask about capturing it during your visit.