hotels so why not grab a telescope at night and take advantage of the sky and if you look at the nemo. i would find that. many people are interested in a different type of tourism this is no longer enough just to go and look at places they want to go deeper and have a real experience. of the raw tourist 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 of the earth and the world 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 and the cities are compact and then there are a lot of unpopulated rural areas between them that means we have super dark skies and visitors to spain are looking for these very dark very clear skies that have been lost in their own countries. spain's privilege situation did not go unnoticed by the great powers of the twentieth century who built their astronomical complexes here. these antenna has 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. they're part of the u.s. agency satellite monitoring and space projects complex. in the one nine hundred seventy s. domes changed the landscape of sierra de last in amaria in southeastern spain at over two thousand meters altitude continental europe and largest observatory was built here the german spanish astronomical center at color alto. 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 center's history very well. and it's just you know yon hot 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 with the little they looked in the northern hemisphere and the southern hemisphere and in the northern hemisphere they looked in france italy greece and spain the word from the best place was here in the south of spain in al mariya that you didn't find in other media in japan. one line of research at the center is devoted to creating innovative instruments and example is carmen s. prime minister for a reactor terminus 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 detect planets outside our solar system which weicker earth could potentially support life with i would argue that what on earth is the model of. color alto is also exceptionally productive it's the european center that generates the highest number of scientific publications that's 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 begin in a thermal set about 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 but the. they ask and we have served 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 going to play at a time off in the. at the control center we meet on a pasquali this italian astronomer has traveled from heidelberg university to supervise her observation hours tonight. limited chad guy my research focuses on the formation of galaxies and to have a change over time to get us to count the what i'm doing now is. studying these galaxies which we call essential galaxies that have the possibility of growing and merging with other galaxies are. increasing them less under mention over time we need the zero mean to the mass of the main sewer nicci that lengthy pull it back with the car let out the fundament that. p.m.s. any is essential for this this is the only way we can understand how styles aborning galaxies at different stages of development in the universe see it then revamp saw. the firmament is observed by brilliant scientists but also by thousands of amateur astronomers their contribution cannot be underestimated before i left. we professionals must form closer ties with amateur astronomers first because i'm 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 when the wisconsin his 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 it's very exciting because instead of storing our work on our own computers we added 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. that's a bit of a health element of 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 that's not the only reason to do it you do it because it's fun you enjoy it and the data you gather night after night can be useful for other people that are going to tell a typical i said i'm going to put out a puzzle. that's how he cultivates 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 full well. amateur astronomers from other countries also choose to come to the iberian peninsula the one hundred and you have travelled from germany to fragonard sierra in the foothills of sierra madre now they've come with a clear objective we will set up our new telescope and where world test. automatic. breaking off and therefore a tsunami for 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 robot telescope because it's very dark here the first point of the other part is a very good seeing here and you can reach but very fast especially from germany you just have to fly to. here very short so it's. 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 today's 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 of the generally we're making pictures of galaxies sometimes planetary nebula we are not really doing scientific stuff fly measurements for a light for supernova something like that that's only if we're not scientists in that way we're 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 it because the travelling is not possible anymore it's losing is too strong so we're 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. people come here for the climate and the sky is they mainly from northern europe we've 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 we're going to search the moon telescope you. the initial forecasts were soon surpassed and a business was born with a certain grow mantic touch the images that they're now going to learn some years ago an extra month 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 i mean it in a room with you. 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 oaks and the broad landscape the stars appear in dazzling brilliance. you think thought of them over there in this area but you can see about two thousand stars compared with the city where you can see only thirty or forty maybe fifty stars maximum yet. to learn more about stars we attend an astronomy session. for st louis skin younus the soul of this project places stars within the context of the universe. is that was me that is everything we're seeing here is expanding the universe is huge it's fourteen billion years old and still expanding is we live in a large super city in the milky way with over four hundred billion stars on that but that it does mean we get at this thing yes. the numbers are astonishing the explanations show how important astronomy has always been for humans. as the thought what if i'm going to be all our grandparents knew and identified as 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 more than they can put up of them. 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. 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. it's 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 the certification. since then al qaeda has become a must visit destination for astral truism visitors fall into two groups. meantime just along some of those so essentially there is the amateur astronomers who love observing the sky and then there's a large increase in families many children hear about the night sky at school but they can't see the constellations in the cities where they live. so they come here with their parents to experience the dark skies together you know even the show that's not. this megalithic monument the cromlech of chess was moved near months of us when the dam was built it's the setting for summer star parties and with face of the familiar. it's a party for the whole family the activities are suitable for both children and adults you can observe the sun there's a workshop for adults and children about the solar system and right now we've got a yoga session here behind us. the presence of hundreds of people lends a special symbolism to this place amid five thousand year old stones it's a unique place to connect with the universe. night force and sheltered by the convent double rather it's 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 by standing firmly on the earth. we want space to be more than just the telescope photographs disseminated by nasa and the european southern observatory. the blizzard. of when people look at these images they can't identify with them because they have no point of reference to know where they are. reported the news so. this what social move is that 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 left and other elements of what it has to offer. it's very important to relay this message to promote ourselves. to be with the single city of the food the the season was for us and. at midnight it's time to contemplate the firmament some with the help of more or less advanced technology and many with the naked eye today with the new moon the universe looks blended. the milky way passes overhead. it's easy to identify constellations like the big dipper c.v.s. or cassiopeia. and stars that shine with their own. such as vega or dana. 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 that's the equivalent of rural skies to true dark sky site. and those dark skies attract thousands of people interested in astronomy. 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. like you know i was the best we didn't do astrophysics here but that is done at la palma in the canary islands a more professional observatories but we do receive school visits in the winter months with them 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 that is the whole course. after decades of experience publicizing information about astronomy. knows very well that this discipline requires scientific knowledge and something more. basic it is the rule out of trouble to talk about science you need a romantic view of the many of us then you have. i got of those we want people that are really lovely concepts in astronomy like that we come from the stars for example everything that exists that has substance comes from the starts 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 phones everyone takes their position. the roof of the astronomy center slowly opens like a curtain at a theater and the star show begins. and i was running for the moment though the rock constellations in the night sky that can be seen with the naked eye people really like discovering such a terrace and scorpio and the stories that go with the constellations. for example the ticket of the sci fi is king of ethiopia who married cassiopeia years ago. so that's greek mythology area it's a lovely way for people to understand and know more about the sky. they're going to tell me. for years the extremadura center for advanced technologies has been making films for planetary up. 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. played by send us and shows a series of scenarios that had never been seen before. the growth you know that believe. 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 parador of craters in the province of our villa is hosting a course for astro tourism guides. everyone is committed to defending the dark sky regardless of participants profiles or backgrounds. rango the truth of i'm 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 an eco tourism. thing with an affinity for it though in spain it is more developed than in france. we have techniques that could be developed but i know i'm going to be one of the first to import his knowledge about astro tourism into france. but he made oath in part that it is the. authorities mindful of. professionals from the most renowned places also come here to specialize they all see astro two or ism as an opportunity. there are two very modern ideas the canary islands are considered the world leader in astro tourism matters and the truth is we're very lucky in the canary islands especially those of us born there we can't let this opportunity pass in a couple of the year or even for the experts practice makes perfect. for the market because there are two courses that differ only in the number of class hours it's 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 we're all very excited about it i mean . at midday the garden turns into an observatory it's 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 armstrong filter which gets even looks more detail. so i don't look at . all the telescopes are pointed at the sun. tourism professionals have a clear goal in mind. to go my seventy think linus' might be more looking for over twenty five years explaining the natural environment in the sierra what drama 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 to now mature astronomy. you go from visual astronomy to looking through a telescope and end up doing photography. that possibly work leads you to do it is wanting to see more because observation through a telescope is very limited and we need. the scientific content complements the to restrict content palko sanchez is the so-called 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 of great austin one thousand nine hundred four we are pioneers of what is called small hotels with charm and. sympathy the feat in the last i've 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 and i built a dome on the roof a more professional observatory looked me in the hotel cast will come up with me and i told them all about astronomy. at one point i realized it was true that we are very privileged in the sky we have here and they say. look we believe. nature livestock the mountains and hunting with the attractions the sierra of credos was known for then. pack of sanchez dared to innovate. now it's the dark sky that draws tourists. the demand was surprising. really here people came here and asked if i hear this is a very good place to see stars who can show them to me. you know when we realized there was nobody who could do it bob is the only one here because i had my observatory and my telescope. once the potential was recognised professional training picked up. el milano crayolas was the first astronomical hotel in mainland spain astro tourism is already showing profits more of the line with the over half the nights of a year we've got guests who come to observe the stars yeah what's more everyone leaves happy and everyone says it's fantastic i've got to come back again i'm going to start reading about this stuff because it's really fascinating that isn't this. the have a lumber a astrophysical observateur he 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 aragon center for studies of the physics of the cosmos has built galactica a center for publicizing 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 an 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 this if it were all it would be after germany and spain signed the agreement for the observatory that they were trustee cuts in budgets we start initially there was talk that the observatory might disappear that it might close. the file. 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. most interest of progress to the reason because it was the most honest with held three of these asteroid tourism meetings in recent years is more need to try to open up the market in this area because there wasn't much to offer with you can. we realized that when people came up to cull out and set up amateur telescopes at night they were stunned they had no idea of the quality of the sky they had. to warn 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 meant that at present there is no professional observatory in europe where a person can look through a telescope more than a meter in diameter with an eyepiece this activity is exclusive to car art or if it's offered nowhere else in the world. and anyone who does it will have an experience that they'll remember for the rest of their life by. whatever other things we're. once a month this telescope which is one point twenty three meters in diameter is available for scientific tourism activity. if that is the name we have the ability to remove the scientific operators from the telescope and replace it with an eyepiece. at that. then our visitors can personally observe the marvels of the sky with their. i seen from here in colorado. and. through everything about it like with our main activity is research for science so the number of nights we can devote to this activity is certainly limited but it's something we're committed to. we're going to keep it going and there are circumstances a law will expand and enhance it. in the evening the experience begins you know what i want to see what you see through a telescope at the false range of lenses you have i've heard the resolution is so high you can see the moons of your anus that's what i want to see you know that all of. the special guests are invited into the scientists work spaces. and. we think this activity is more appropriate for 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 and call 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 at colorado. 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 it's 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 at that. time is that they have to find out oh i've been an amateur astronomer since i was fifteen sixteen but the reflect all reflected telescopes i've use do not have the resolution this one has today i've seen a planetary nebula and that is far from what your average amateur astronomer can aspire to see the bits they wanted out of a unique extraordinary experience it's really a privilege to be here a little bit of that might encourage everyone to come and see what kind of work they do here and what astronomy has to offer of all the top level science being done here is that with the best says that the end of. the universe has existed far longer than we humans have and it will continue long after we disappear. many people don't 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 an immense vastness. it's enough to just look up this is our legacy. infinite what you see. see. sarno just couldn't get this song out of his head. musicologist began searching for the source of these captivating sounds. and found that deep in the red forest in central africa and the like to the left was a big black and with a live wire and he was. the most money living. he was fascinated by their culture that he stayed local. only a promise to his son mates are not. leave the jungle and return to the concrete and glass jungle but. the result reverse culture shock. from the forest starts. w. .