Our facility is located on the island of La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain — an EU territory in the Eastern Atlantic, at approximately 28.7° N, 17.9° W, at an altitude of 1,360 m above sea level.

We sit on the slopes of the Roque de los Muchachos, sharing the same mountain ridge as the Gran Telescopio Canarias (the world's largest optical telescope), the William Herschel Telescope, MAGIC, and the Isaac Newton Telescope.

The nearest international airport is SPC (La Palma Airport), a 45-minute drive away. Direct flights connect from Madrid, Lisbon, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, London Gatwick, and other European cities.

La Palma has the darkest legal sky in Europe. Our on-site SQM meter recorded an average of 21.57 mag/arcsec² on moonless nights in 2025, with a peak reading of 22.03 mag/arcsec².

The site is rated Bortle 1–2 — the darkest class on the international scale. The sky is protected by the Canary Islands Sky Law (Law 31/1988), which limits light pollution, radio interference, and air traffic across the island. This protection is legally enforced and has been in place for over 35 years.

In 2012, La Palma became the world's first Starlight Reserve, certified by UNESCO and the International Astronomical Union.

The Roque de los Muchachos consistently records some of the best seeing in the Northern Hemisphere. Under good conditions, IR seeing drops below 0.6 arcseconds.

The main driver is La Palma's position above the marine inversion layer: the boundary between the moist Atlantic air below and the dry, stable air above. At 1,360 m we sit well above this layer, giving us exceptional atmospheric stability on most nights.

Summer months (June–September) typically deliver the best seeing and lowest humidity, with average relative humidity dropping below 30%.

Based on our own sensor data collected throughout 2025 (786,000 readings), we recorded 311 nights with at least one hour of observable conditions — an annual clear rate of 85.2 %.

Monthly breakdown varies: summer months (Jul–Sep) typically achieve 25–30 clear nights, while the wettest months (Feb–Mar) can drop to 20–22. Even in the worst months the site outperforms most European locations.

You can view live and historical sky data on our Data & Statistics page.

Calima (intrusion of Saharan dust) is a real and recurring phenomenon in the Canary Islands. It affects La Palma less frequently than the eastern islands (Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria), but it does occur.

Our all-sky camera, cloud sensor, and extinction monitor detect calima automatically. The safety system marks the observatory as "weather hold" and no automated operations proceed while calima is active. You receive real-time alerts via the client portal.

Statistically, significant calima episodes at altitude last between 1 and 4 days. They are most common in late winter and summer. We include calima history in our monthly observing reports.

Absolutely — we encourage it. Contact us to arrange a site visit. We'll show you the observatory, the piers, the network setup, and the views. A visit typically takes 2–3 hours, and if you want to observe during the night, we can accommodate that too.

La Palma is very accessible from major European cities. Direct flights operate from Frankfurt, Amsterdam, London Gatwick, Madrid, Lisbon, and more. The island is small: the drive from the airport to our facility takes under 45 minutes.

Visit our Visit Us page for travel tips, accommodation suggestions, and how to book a tour.

Since La Palma is an EU territory, there are no customs duties for equipment shipped from EU countries. Shipping from the UK or outside the EU may incur standard import procedures, but we can advise on the most efficient route.

Most clients ship via courier (DHL, UPS, Correos) to our facility address, or bring the equipment personally on the plane as checked-in luggage. Telescope tubes, cameras, and mounts typically qualify as fragile cargo with declared value.

We receive, inspect, and securely store your equipment on arrival. For heavy or fragile loads, we can also assist with on-site customs and logistics coordination.

A standard installation — mount on pier, telescope, focuser, camera, filter wheel, guider, and network integration — typically takes 1 to 2 working days with our technicians present.

After mechanical installation, calibration, drift alignment, and fine adjustments take approximately 4 additional days of data collection. Instruments with long focal lengths or complex optical trains (dual-refractors, spectrographs, custom electronics) require more time — adjustments continue as observing data comes in over the following sessions.

We offer a Concierge Installation add-on where our team handles the entire setup — cabling, software configuration, plate solving, focus runs, and first-light verification.

We offer a Concierge Installation add-on where our team handles the entire setup — cabling, software configuration, plate solving, focus runs, and first-light verification — so you can start imaging remotely from day one.

We are software-agnostic. Any standard astronomy control software running on Windows, Linux, or macOS works over our VPN. Clients use:

• Capture/sequencing: NINA, Voyager, Sequence Generator Pro, ACP, TheSkyX, Prism, MaxIm DL
• Driver frameworks: ASCOM (Windows), INDI/INDIGO (Linux/Mac)
• Guiding: PHD2, MetaGuide
• Planetarium / pointing: Cartes du Ciel, Stellarium, SkySafari
• Remote desktop: AnyDesk, TeamViewer, RDP, VNC (your choice)

Radiolink connection: 1G+1G radiolink + 2× Starlink + 2× LTE 4G+/5G. All bandwidth is pooled and usable — the system auto-balances across all carriers continuously.

Latency from mainland Europe (Madrid, London, Frankfurt) is typically 18–35 ms. From the US East Coast, expect 90–120 ms. This is well within the tolerances for real-time remote control of telescope mounts, focusers, and rotators.

The facility uses hybrid solar inverters with LiFePO4 battery storage (60 kW). Grid power and batteries work simultaneously — the inverters continuously inject current from both sources. There is no switchover, no interruption, and no detectable transition event. Your mount keeps tracking and your camera keeps exposing.

The system automatically parks all mounts and closes all roofs when conditions are unsafe. You receive an automatic alert. On any system event, the safety monitor resets automatically and waits for your command to resume operations.

Our on-site technicians can diagnose and address most common hardware failures — loose cables, focuser faults, communication drops, collimation issues. Minor interventions are included in all plans during standard support hours.

For warranty repairs or manufacturer interventions, we coordinate shipping back to the manufacturer or arrange a specialist visit. We have an on-site workshop with tools for mechanical and electronic work.

Plans with Priority or Concierge support include faster response times (same-night for critical issues) and dedicated phone/WhatsApp access to our technical team.

No. Our facility is located in a legally protected natural area, which means all construction, structures, and modifications are subject to strict environmental regulations. We handle all installations ourselves in compliance with the applicable permits and procedures.

If your project has specific structural requirements — a dedicated enclosure, custom civil works, or a non-standard instrument configuration — contact us and we will study the feasibility together.

Yes. Our Managed Imaging add-on means our operators handle the entire observing session on your behalf: opening the roof when conditions are safe, running your imaging sequences, monitoring for clouds or wind, and parking when done.

Raw data (FITS files) is uploaded to your designated storage. This is ideal for clients who can't be online during the local night (time zone difference), or who simply prefer a hands-off experience.

Our standard hosting contracts have a 12-month minimum term. This applies to all physical pier installations — astrophotography, scientific, and SSA tracks.

After the initial 12 months, contracts roll over on a month-to-month basis unless either party gives 60 days' notice.

A refundable reservation deposit is required to secure your pier before signing. The deposit is returned the month following the completion of the first year of the contract, deducted from the following month's invoice — leaving the account settled at zero.

All invoices are issued in EUR. USD pricing is available on request for clients outside Europe.

IGIC (Canary Islands indirect tax) is 7% — significantly lower than mainland Spanish VAT (21%) or most EU member-state VATs. This is a genuine fiscal advantage of our location.

Accepted payment methods: SEPA bank transfer, credit/debit card (Stripe), international wire, and PayPal (PayPal payments carry the provider's transaction fee, which is passed on to the client). We issue net-30 payment terms for established B2B clients.

Within the 12-month minimum term, cancellation requires payment of the remaining months' fees (less any costs avoided). After the minimum term, 60 days' written notice is required.

The reservation deposit is fully refundable if cancelled more than 30 days before the agreed installation date. Within 30 days it is non-refundable unless we are unable to provide the agreed pier.

We understand that circumstances change. If you need to pause operations (e.g. equipment sent for upgrade), we offer a storage mode at a reduced monthly rate while your pier is reserved.

Yes — we actively welcome academic and research institutions. We offer Scientific Hosting contracts tailored for universities, public observatories, and research centres, with:

• B2B invoicing with purchase-order support
• NDA-ready framework for sensitive research
• Data archive and delivery in standard formats (FITS, CCSDS TDM)
• Support for photometric calibration and standard-star observations
• MPC observatory code application support
• Multi-year contracts with institutional payment terms

See our Scientific Hosting page for full details.

The facility itself is covered by a property and liability policy. Our Insurance Bundle add-on for hosted client equipment covers: fire, natural catastrophe, and vandalism. It does not cover equipment repairs or malfunctions. Theft is explicitly excluded — no insurer in Spain currently offers theft cover for unattended remote equipment in this type of installation.

We strongly recommend that clients maintain their own equipment insurance. We can provide a written facility description and site address for your insurer's records.

Our security infrastructure includes:

• 24/7 on-site staff — the facility is never unattended
• CCTV coverage of all access points, piers, and perimeter
• Perimeter fencing and controlled access — entry by key card or PIN for authorised personnel only
• Motion sensors and IR illumination around the perimeter
• Direct line to local Guardia Civil (the facility's location is registered with the local police post)

The area is remote, with very low crime risk.

We publish real-time and historical data publicly on our Data & Statistics page:

• All-sky camera feed (refreshes every 60 seconds)
• Current temperature, humidity, wind speed and gusts
• Sky quality (SQM) in real time
• Cloud sensor reading
• Observatory safe/unsafe status
• Historical monthly averages for 2025

Active clients also have access to the full Grafana dashboard via the client portal, with complete sensor history, trend charts, and alert configuration.

La Palma uses Atlantic Time (UTC+0 in winter / UTC+1 in summer — WET/WEST), the same as mainland Portugal and one hour behind Spain. This is convenient for European observers: astronomical twilight begins around 20:30–22:00 local, depending on the season.

Standard support covers 08:00–22:00 local time, 7 days a week. For Priority and Concierge plans, we provide on-call technical response throughout the night.

Remote monitoring runs 24/7 — the system automatically parks and closes the observatory in case of deteriorating conditions, regardless of whether a technician is physically present.

Getting there: Fly to La Palma Airport (SPC). Direct routes from Frankfurt, Amsterdam, London Gatwick, Madrid, Lisbon, Düsseldorf, and others. From Tenerife (TFN/TFS), there is a daily ferry and multiple daily flights.

At altitude: The observatory is at 1,360 m. Altitude sickness is uncommon but possible if you ascend quickly. Take it easy on the first day. Temperatures at the summit can be 8–12 °C even in summer — bring warm clothing.

Accommodation: The nearest municipalities to the facility are Tijarafe and Punta Gorda, which have rural houses and small accommodation options. Santa Cruz de La Palma (airport town) has more hotels. We can recommend accommodation near the facility for clients visiting during installation.

Roads: The road to the hosting facility is narrow and winding — allow 1 hour 45 minutes from the airport. A 4WD is not necessary but a compact car is advisable.

We offer hosting for satellite tracking and SSA equipment — we provide the site, infrastructure, power, and connectivity that optical SSA operators need. We do not perform tracking ourselves, as our current clients are actively using the facility for their own SSA programmes and we respect their operational independence.

La Palma's latitude (28.7° N), sub-arcsecond seeing, and the Canary Islands Sky Law make it uniquely suited for precision optical tracking — closing the Atlantic coverage gap that many global SSA networks face.

See our Satellite Tracking Hosting page for full details.

Yes. We operate under NDA by default for all SSA and scientific clients — project details, client identities, and observed objects are never disclosed without explicit written authorisation.

We are headquartered in Spain (EU), making us fully subject to EU data sovereignty regulations. All data remains within our infrastructure and is not routed through third-party cloud providers unless specifically requested.

For clients requiring higher security clearance levels (government agencies, NATO-allied defence contractors), we are actively pursuing the relevant Spanish and EU certifications. Contact our mission desk to discuss your specific requirements under NDA.