Kike Navarro – La Palma in pictures • 17

Almond blossom in starlight

— With this night shot, Kike Navarro shows us one of the winter natural spectacles on La Palma.

Between mid-January and mid-February, the almond trees enchant several municipalities on the island with their clouds of delicate pink blossoms and fine fragrance. A true feast for the senses. This can be experienced particularly impressively in Garafía, El Paso and in Puntagorda. Puntagorda is famous for its annual almond blossom festival.

In the picture we see a young almond tree seemingly scattering its delicate petals into the night sky. The presence of Jupiter is particularly noteworthy. It is the brightest star near the horizon. The planet is in the centre of the zodiacal light, that triangle of faint light that extends from the horizon upwards. These are remnants of dust and gas from the formation of the solar system. They are only visible from very dark places without light pollution. 

click to enlarge

In the upper right corner we can also observe a neighbouring galaxy. It is the Andromeda Galaxy, which is 2.4 million light years away. Much further than the rest of the stars we see that belong to our own galaxy.

To show off the almond tree better, some artificial light was added. Otherwise everything would have looked as black as the mountains and trees in the background.

Kike took the photo in the northwest of Isla Bonita in the municipality of Puntagorda, in the La Traviesa area.

La Palma Star Guide Kike Navarro

Starlight Guide Kike Navarro - astrophotography and star tours

Astronomy, astrophotography, night photography and landscape photography are the basis for Kike's excursions.

Whether it's an introduction to astronomy, stargazing with a telescope, courses or photo workshops in Spanish and English – Kike is the right partner. 

Those who go stargazing with him will experience constellations, planets and the vastness of the Milky Way at selected locations. It doesn't always have to be the highest mountain. Depending on the desired activity, Kike also accompanies his clients to volcanic landscapes or to the sea. He can also be booked for guided tours of the International Observatory on the Roque de Los Muchachos. 

Window to the Universe

Visitor centre Centro de Visitantes Roque de Los Muchachos

This specialised tourist centre pays tribute to the astrophysical observatory of La Palma, which is one of the best and most important in the world.

It aims to give visitors:inside an understanding of the impressive experience of research with the observatory's telescopes, the journey goes through three exhibition halls:

• "Canary Islands" explains the unique conditions that the archipelago, and La Palma and Roque de los Muchachos in particular, offer for astronomical observations.
• "Exploring the Universe" shows in synthetic form the current state of our knowledge about the universe
• "Back to Earth" shows the natural environment in which the observatory is located.

La Palma in pictures • photo series

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