A planetary nebula, the Cat's Eye Nebula, (NGC 6543), photographed by IAC astronomers at the INT on La Palma

Welcome to Star Island, a wonderful place for astronomy. La Palma has the clearest, darkest skies in Europe. Come here to experience the immensity of the universe first hand.

La Palma boasts an international observatory with fourteen telescopes from fifteen nations (Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and the United States). This includes the biggest and newest optical telescope in the world, GranTeCan, the massive gamma ray telescope, MAGIC, and the best solar telescope in the world, the Swedish solar tower. But La Palma’s clear, dark skies are equally a magnet for amateur astronomers. You can set up your own telescope on one of the places set aside for astronomy. Alternatively, several cottages-for-rent offer telescopes you can borrow for a night’s stargazing. And several of the island’s many fiestas include star parties (with telescopes) as part of their celebrations.

Come to La Palma. You won’t regret it.