Express g. W. On facebook and twitter up to date and in touch follow us. Tourism in the twenty First Century looks to the stars. Lakin through looking for experiences and astronomy is a new experience not available to them previously and the like never saying that the title on the moon the sun and some of the stars. Spain is one of the best destinations in the world to enjoy astronomy its a trend on the rise. The best stories will mastro tourism is giving value to the attraction of the night sky here in tokyo. Scientific institutions businesses and tourist establishment are backing this new trend. That the fifteen years ago astro tourism sounded like times fiction didnt it who would come from abroad just to look at styles i mean i laugh at. Him as a bit more than thirty thousand german astronomers have to go abroad to practice their hobby with us here in. This intelligent tourism offers unique experiences to travelers from all over the world to discover in the southwest of europe. I dont know who that is spending the night looking through a telescope or even with the naked eye or to see things theyve never seen before is an experience theyll remember for the rest of their lives and the things in life. In the Canary Islands the universe seems to feel closer to long with other locations in southwestern europe the spanish archipelago is an ideal location for observing the sky. Lebanese levity in the Iberian Peninsula and the Canary Islands should actually be considered as a nature reserve for practicing astronomy in europe but i think that less than a man in. Their geographic setting with the mountains and climate make these islands a kind of window on the cosmos where many nations would like to carry out groundbreaking research. For this book we have telescopes from a great many countries especially at the observatory about the rocketeer last one chacho sun the palm island youll find the best set of telescopes in the Northern Hemisphere there if not in the whole world is a person going to the moon. Astronomy arguably the first science cultivated by humans is in some danger Light Pollution from cities obscures the stars. Astronomers and astrophysicists were the first to identify the danger of losing the night sky society wasnt aware of the importance of preserving that sky people thought astronomers were the only ones interested for scientific or personal reasons. We may be witnessing the end of dark nights. In the cities are excessively illuminated. Observatories about to move farther and farther away to increasingly remote settings the levees caught up with masi mother motos. Since the one nine hundred eighty s. International experts have warned of the consequences of Light Pollution it contributes to Climate Change modifies the behavior of certain animals and affects peoples health. So i dont but already weve evolved with these cycles between day and night and we know our internal clock our security and rhythm is disrupted when i listen you know what i would have another call myself in. The u. S. Based International DarkSky Association has been devoted to protecting dark skies since one thousand nine hundred eight it is just one of the organizations working to preserve these spaces. In europe the Canary Islands have played a decisive role the Starlight Foundation founded by the Canary Islands institute of astrophysics has been active since two thousand and seven. There was the right nothing over think with the that in the Astrophysics Institute is committed to conserving the skies. Not only for use by scientists you know but also as part of humanitys intangible heritage by the morning but for the enjoyment of the general public who pay their lives for this if the. Scientists and nonprofessional astronomers from various nations Work Together with this organization the objectives are to forward to preserve dark skies and promote astronomy. To do so they consider tourism a way of spreading knowledge with the support of the International AstronomyAssociation Unesco and the World Tourism Organization this foundation certifies the quality of the sky. It hit a couple in the middle of it some skies look beautiful but its not guaranteed theyll stay that wife is the light of the starlight certifications ensure that there are regulations that will keep the skies so dark that people can enjoy the sky see. The Canary Islands is the birthplace of european astro tourism other regions in the south of spain with significant attractions for visitors and a good infrastructure have added astronomy to their offerings. You have to do more in the skies are clear day and night and on to lose your ideal for astro tourism when the sun shines tourists can enjoy the weather the beach bars and the hotels so why not grab a telescope at night and take advantage of the sky you know if you look at the nemo. Im with. Many people are interested in a different type of tourism its no longer enough just to go and look at places they want to go deeper and have a real experience because there are tours to travel just to practice astronomy the rest of the trip is extra as if. The Iberian Peninsula offers the best conditions for observation. In addition to its geographic location and climate with a large number of clear nights throughout the year it is sparsely populated in many regions on the one. In central and Northern Europe the settled areas are quite scattered about there are lots of homes and small residential areas between the cities where the. Cities are compact and then there are a lot of unpopulated rule areas between them that means we have skies and visitors to spain are looking for these very very clear skies that have been lost in their own countries. Spains privilege situation did not go unnoticed by the great powers of the Twentieth Century who built their astronomical complexes here. These antennas played a central role in the moon landing nasa set them up in robledo d. H. Of ala in the early one nine hundred sixty s. Theyre part of the u. S. Agency satellite monitoring and space projects complex. In the one nine hundred seventy s. Domes changed the landscape of. Race in in southeastern spain at over two thousand meters altitude Continental Europe the Largest Observatory was built here the german spanish Astronomical Center a callar. Helming came to spain in the one nine hundred seventy s. Today he is one of the few german engineers who work here he knows the Centers History very well. In the one nine hundred sixty s. Germany was interested in investing more in astronomy which is why they looked for a location for a new Astronomical Center. They looked in the Northern Hemisphere and the southern hemisphere. In the Northern Hemisphere they looked in france italy greece and spain the best place was here in the south of spain. One line of research at the center is devoted to creating innovative instruments an example is carmen s. From me. Carmen s. Was an idea that arose at a Scientific Meeting in two thousand and eight where Eleven International institutions agreed to create a device that could do what had never been possible in science before it detects planets outside our solar system which like earth could potentially support life we dont know but i believe that one of the. Color alltel is also exceptionally productive its the European Center that generates the highest number of scientific publications thats thanks to on again harle and her colleagues. From this room she monitors the telescopes in the center during the night they become the eyes of scientists all over the world. Will be an astronaut well sort of some astronomers come here themselves or we follow their detailed instructions and carry out the research for them they tell us what to observe how long which filter which entrance lit what spectrum and so on. They ask and we have serve at the end of the night we send them the data and then at their various Research Centers they examine the data and decide if we need to make changes or continue as is this is you can go deeper yet to the time within the. At the control center we meet on a pasquali this italian astronomer has traveled from Heidelberg University to supervise her observation hours tonight. Let me go to chad guy my research focuses on the formation of galaxies and tad they change a little me to get us. The one time doing now is studying these galaxies which are equal essential galaxies that half the possibility of growing and merging with other galaxies. Increasing then must son die mention over time we need. The mass of the main sewer nicci at that time they will look at the fundamental. P. M. S. Any is essential for this that this is the only way we can understand how styles aborning galaxies at different stages of development in the universe see. The new batch saw. The firmament is observed by brilliant scientists but also by thousands of amateur astronomers their contribution cannot be underestimated before i mean. We professionals must form closer ties with amateur astronomers first because im convinced that they will contribute to the future of professional astronomy and second because a lot of science can be done with equipment that they already have. As a boy juan de weese consols car bio dreamed of becoming an astronomer and yet his professional life took him down other roads so instead for almost thirty years he has spent all his free time on astronomy. As amateurs we can work intensively with professional astronomers its very exciting because instead of storing our work on our own computers we add it to databases that others can use. He is prolific he publishes books writes for scientific journals and does research with International Groups in recent years he helped discover a supernova with an italian team. A supernova is the most cataclysmic phenomenon in the universe since the big bang seeing it live being part of the co discovery of a supernova justifies all those hours all the time devoted to it although thats not the only reason to do it you do it because its fun and you enjoy it and the data you gather night after night can be useful for other peoples work and. Thats how he cultivate his hobby he spends hours and hours interpreting data the times he used to sit outside and gaze into the night sky are long past. When you observe from a fixed spots like your house you have to have an observatory in place to avoid always setting it up and taking it down which is tedious. Nowadays nonprofessional astronomers who are more serious about this can have equipment set up in a remote observatory and then they can work from home you know from. Amateur astronomers from other countries also choose to come to the Iberian Peninsula with a light heart and you have travelled from germany to fragonard sierra in the foothills of sierra madre now theyve come with a clear objective we will. Set up our new telescope and where were test. Automatic. Breaking off and therefore before the crew of theirs is one of the last telescopes set up here for hosting a special way of renting a private observatory they chose this location after analyzing other destinations on other continents. This is the best place for installing a robot telescope because its very dark here with the first point of the other boarders a very good seeing here and you can reach that very fast especially from germany you just have to fly to and you hear very short so lets find. A sound interrupts the interview the dome on the neighboring observatory starts moving the sun is setting and the Building Owner of this telescope wants to check todays sky conditions from the heart of europe he directs operations by Remote Control as he watches us through his camera in a few weeks these astronomers will be able to do the same thing from their homes in munich the generally were making pictures of galaxies sometimes planetary nebula we are not really doing scientific stuff like measurements for a light cart for supernova Something Like that thats only if were not scientists in that way were just doing our spare time we are you know amateur astronomers and just viking pretty pictures as you can see and we also have a look at the stars here to see because in germany its not possible anymore its pollution is too strong so were going here to do. In germany alone there are thirty thousand amateur astronomers who have to travel outside their country to be able to enjoy their hobby the same thing happens in other countries some of these aficionados have come to this astronomical complex. Community people come here for the climate and this guy is mainly from Northern Europe weve got people from various nations from russia Great Britain france and belgium the u. S. Company in america came here to build a telescope with us i mean were going to use them even telescope you. The initial forecasts were soon surpassed and a business was born with a certain romantic touch the images that are now going to this land some years ago an experimental and we realized the sky was of incredible quality we would come with a telescope to look at the stars and it was great we invited friends and since jose luis had good connections in the astronomy scene he knew there was big demand for places to put up telescopes. So we thought maybe that was a good way to indulge our passion for astronomy and run a business at the same time it and i dont want to. The hosting service has given them International Prestige among astronomers the complex also offers accommodation and workshops. At night for the leading lights make their interests. Between the gnarled folks in the broad landscape the stars appear in dazzling brilliance. Is then brought in the form of his image in this area you can see about two thousand stars compared with the city where you can see only thirty or forty maybe fifty stars maximum you get. To learn more about stars we attend an astronomy session. The san luis can eunice the soul of this project place a stars within the context of the universe. Is that was me that is everything were seeing here is expanding the universe is huge its fourteen billion years old and still expanding to see if we live in a large super city in the milky way with over four hundred billion stars oh my that but that doesnt mean you give us this day yes. The numbers are astonishing the explanations show how important astronomy has always been for humans. Is the thought what if im going to need all our grandparents knew and identified the stars speak of the brightest star in the constellation virgo that means we spike and when it appeared in the east they knew it was time to sew or harvest astronomy was essential for daily life but today environmentalists pollution and all our technology have completely disconnected us and that they can put up with the impulse. The stars have gone out in the eyes of many. Who live in the developed world. This is what the planet looks like at night artificial light illuminates large surfaces of the Northern Hemisphere. Cuba is the largest dam in western europe the waters of the glory on a river serve as the boundary between spain and portugal the portuguese were the pioneers in promoting astro tourism. The idea arose in two thousand and eight as part of creating a Sustainable Program for the ok region to offer something unique in terms of nature and resources for tourism we thought of something no one had considered before the sky. Its now a starlight Tourist Destination certified by the Starlight Foundation in two thousand and eleven we were the First Destination in the world to obtain this certification. Since then alqaeda has become a must visit destination for astro truism visitors fall into two groups since well meantime just long time ago so essentially there is the amateur astronomers who love observing the sky and then theres a large increase in families many children hear about the night sky at school but they cant see the constellations in the cities where they live. So they come here with their parents to experience the dark skies together. Even a show thats not. Like. This megalithic monument the cromlech of chess was moved near months on us when the dam was built its the setting for summer star parties and with festival to the familiar. Its a party for the whole family the activities are suitable for both children and adults you can observe the sun theres a workshop for adults and children about the solar system and right now weve got a yoga session here behind us here meeting with. The presence of hundreds of people once a special symbolism to this place amid five thousand year old stones its a unique place to connect with the universe. Night falls. And sheltered by the convent router its time to learn more about astronomy. We go claro the official astro photographer here shares his interest in the science of astronomy from a different perspective photographing space are standing firmly on the earth. We want space to be more than just the telescope photographs disseminated by nasa and the european southern observatory. When people look at these images they cant identify with them because they have no point of reference to know where they are. We want them to be able to connect to the sky and the earth and find relevance and astronomy. Then there is the richness of the landscape of all caver with a crumb and other elements of what it has to offer. Its very important to relay this message to promote ourselves. I mean you. Have the flu the season my fossilman. At midnight its time to contemplate the firmament some with the help of more Less Advanced Technology and many with the naked eye today with the new moon the universe looks blended. The milky way passes overhead. Its easy to identify constellations like the big dipper. Or cassiopeia. And stars that shine with their own names such as vega or dean up. In. The sky here affords excellent visibility and average of two hundred eighty six nights a year. The degree of darkness in the three thousand square kilometer region ranges from twenty one point two to twenty one point eight thats the equivalent of rural skies to true dark skies sides. And those dark skies attract thousands of people interested in astronomy. But. Some areas offer multiple activities while others are specialized this is the case at the Astronomy Center in the province of via delete the only center in the world to be considered a star park. I was impressed yes we did not do astrophysics here but that is done at la palma in the Canary Islands and more professional observatories but we do receive School Visits in the winter months couldnt we get tourist families and what we do is open up a little window of knowledge about the sky to them so they learn a bit more about what is up there in the sky they can look through telescopes with the naked eye of a horse. After decades of experience publicizing information about astronomy young tales knows very well that this discipline requires scientific knowledge and something more. Basic it is the rule out of trying to talk about science you need a romantic view of the universe then you have. I got it thus we wanted that they were really lovely concepts in astronomy just like that we come from the stars for example everything that exists that has substance comes from the stars with Scientific Concepts which are a bit inaccessible to many people it is important to present them with that sort of enticement as you share information. Night falls everyone takes their position. On the roof at the Astronomy Center slowly opens like a curtain at a theater and the star show begins. And i was playing for them i mean there are constellations in the night sky that can be seen with the naked eye but people really like discovering statutary some scorpio and the stories that go with the constellations. For example have a good look at this sci fi is the king of ethiopia who married cassiopeia years ago. So thats greek mythology its a lovely way for people to understand and know more about the sky so they dont theyre going to tell me. For years the Extremadura Center for advanced technologies has been making films for planetaria. Some are shown at the trujillo planetarium and others are distributed in spain and latin america. More than one hundred twenty thousand people have seen exploring the solar system a fascinating journey from the sun to mars. Paper to send us and it shows a series of scenarios that had never been seen before. We both know that when we grew up. With scientific advisors from the Canary Islands institute of astrophysics this film enables viewers to see and understand the dawn of a comet or an asteroid collision el mundo an eel or the ringworld is another of their films now that attempts are being made to find intelligent life on other planets this production aims to explain what such a place might be like. Making astronomy attractive and establishing it as a tourist activity are matters that concern the entire sector. The hotel door of cradle us in the province of is hosting a course for astro tourism guides. Everyone is committed to defending the dark sky regardless of participants profiles or backgrounds. And with it it was of im from toulouse in france i decided to take this course because i want to add it to my fifteen years of experience inter ism especially in eco tourism. In spain it is more developed than in france. We have techniques that could be developed but i know im going to be one of the first to his knowledge about astro tourism into france. But he made those important is the. Reason my financial. Professionals from the most renowned places also come here to specialize they all see astro tourism as an opportunity. And that would be more going to the Canary Islands are considered the world leader in astro tourism and the truth is were very lucky in the Canary Islands especially those of us born there we cant let this opportunity pass over the you know even for the experts practice makes perfect. For the there are two courses that differ only in the number of class hours its very intensive because we go for twelve hours a day so we have time to cover everything. We spend the whole day in class and at night we do astronomy practice sessions but were all very excited about it i mean. At midday the garden turns into an observatory its time to observe and learn about our star the sun. These are the first solo telescopes that existed and the difference with this one is that it has a much higher resolution and this one has a point five from filter which gives you lots more detail. I dont look at it. All the telescopes are pointed at the sun. Tourism professionals have a clear goal in mind. To go and i do think linus might be more looking for over twenty five years explaining the Natural Environment in the sierra what tama in madrid. We were doing night activities and started getting more and more interest in this guy so we started learning more about it and this is the best opportunity to continue learning. Astrophotography is also popular and tonio company us is one of the first astro photographers in spain. This is the high point in amateur astronomy. You go from visual astronomy to looking through a telescope and end up doing photography. Possibly what leads you to do it is wanting to see more because observation through a telescope is very limited and. The scientific content complements the to restrict content. Is the socalled father of the movement he was the first to bring astro to risen to the area. My wife and i built a hotel here in the sierra one thousand nine hundred. Hotels with charm. Ive always been an amateur astronomer then when i built the hotel one of the things i also did was set up a telescope in the hotel garden. The guests would come up and ask me can we have a look and so i explained what they were seeing in the sky. We built an extension. On the roof professional observatory. To come up with me and i told them all about astronomy. And at one point i realized it was true that we are very privileged in the sky we have here in this area. Nature. Livestock the mountains and hunting with the attractions the sierra of credos was known for then. Dared to innovate. Now its the dark sky that draws tourists. The demand was surprising. But you know if people came here and asked i hear this is a very good place to see stars who can show them to me. You know and we realized there was nobody who could do it obviously anyone here because i had my observatory and my telescope. Once the potential was recognised professional training picked up. Was the first astronomical hotel in mainland spain astra tourism is already showing profits and one of the along with the overhaul of the knights of a year weve got guests who come to observe the stasi yeah whats more everyone leaves happy and everyone says its fantastic ive got to come back again im going to start reading about this stuff because its really fascinating that isnt this. The have a lumber a astrophysical observateur is the most recent professional observatory built in western europe. Here in the province of taylor well they are working on an Ambitious International project making a three dimensional detailed map of the cosmos. Several kilometers away the same promoter the outer gone center for studies of the physics of the cosmos has built galactica a center for publicising and practicing astronomy. This project designed exclusively to cater to astro tourism expects to receive twenty four thousand visitors a year. Other sites offer more they open up the interior of their professional observatories to visitors in our maria the Friends Association of color alto defends that view this organization. It was created in twenty thirteen during tough Economic Times you know if it was after germany and spain signed the agreement for the observatory that they were dressed the cuts in budget with. Initially there was talk that the observatory might disappear that it might close. At first few people could imagine what the white domes and special sky conditions of colorado were good for scientific tourism is now an important asset. That just a product of the reason it just doesnt know whats on your story weve held three of these asteroid tourism meetings in recent years is mourning to try to open up the market in this area because there wasnt much to offer which you can. Because we realized that when people came up to callout and set up amateur telescopes at night they were stunned they had no idea of the quality of the sky they had and yet you know that any of. The german spanish Astronomical Center in collaboration with the astro Tourism Company as a moot has started to offer an exclusive astronomical experience it allows visitors to feel they are an astronomer for a night i thought i meant it at the present there is no professional observatory in europe where a person can look through a telescope more than a metre in diameter with an eyepiece this activity is exclusive to car our total if its offered nowhere else in the world. And anyone who does it will have an experience that theyll remember for the rest of their life. Or whatever other things were. Once a month this telescope which is one point twenty three meters in diameter is available for scientific tourism activity. Is it that. We have the ability to remove the scientific apparatus from the telescope and replace it with an eyepiece. Then our visitors can personally observe the marvels of the sky as seen from here in qana alto. Our main activity is research for science so the number of nights we can devote to this activity is certainly limited but its something were committed to. Were going to keep it going and there are circumstances a lot will expand and enhance it. In the evening the experience begins. I want to see what you see through a telescope with a vast range of lenses you have ive heard the resolution is so high you can see the moons of your anus thats what i want to see. The special guests are invited into the scientists work spaces. We think they scientifically is more appropriate people who have already had some previous experience with telescopes. Because if you have never looked through a telescope before and looked through this one for the first time youll never want to look through any other want to know if i could meet up with them about. As darkness falls the dome opens. In one thousand nine hundred seventy five this telescope manufactured in germany was the first telescope to go operational in that color. Tonight is one of the ten thousand nights it has been used to observe the firmament. It has two purposes the scientific one which is usually operated from the control room in colorado or by Remote Control from granada and germany. And the second one for astro tourism activities. On those occasions its operated from the control desk. For the session leader adjusting the eyepiece is not always easy the eyepiece has to be at an accessible height. And depending on which celestial body the telescope is aimed at that can be difficult a movable platform helps. As some people take turns looking through the telescope others enjoy the spectacle offered by the sky as seen with the naked eye. For two hours observations are made from the planets in our solar system on out into deep space. That im going to. Get to that they have to thin out ive been an amateur astronomer since i was fifteen or sixteen but the reflector all refracted telescopes ive use do not have the resolution this one has today ive seen a planetary nebula is and that is far from what your average amateur astronomer can aspire to see up if they were to go out of a unique extraordinary experience its really a privilege to be there. Because of the high encourage everyone to come and see what kind of work they do here and what astronomy has to offer above all the top level science being done here. With the best since that the end of. The universe has existed far longer than we humans have and it will continue long after we disappear. Many people dont give that a Second Thought still an increasing number are looking for a connection to something greater something that makes their own existence seem so small and yet at the same time makes them feel part of any ments vastness. Its enough to just look up this is our legacy. Our infinite legacy. They are originally and playful yet suitable for everyday. Markets look chris fashions boast colorful patterns and stylish designs. Where does the german designer get his inspiration. Seventy glam rock from the right there over. Thirty minutes on. Crime fighters the new season of radio crime thrillers begins. Domestic violence cyber. Traffic for investigative cases that will keep you on your toes the crime fighters stories are the best idea ever so every young person needs to listen to crime fighter and share tell a friend tell a friend to fight crime fighters dont miss it. Expecting visitors. Visit the city this is not every day you boys in the house night is. Kim and the gods house of music stores up close personal and unplugged. Groups starting november third down d. W. Week. This is d. W. News line from broadway in high stakes for catalonia as it stand off with spain reaches its latest crisis point the countrys Prime Minister says that hes no alternative to direct to rule the scottish parliaments upper house is expected to authorize his request today the first consequence would be the dismissal of catalonia seventy