I noticed, in your profile, it said that you do some of your work in the Canary Islands. Is there any particular reason

Question: I noticed, in your profile, it said that you do some of your work in the Canary Islands. Is there any particular reason for that? I noticed, that when we went to Tenerife, at night time, we couldn't see many stars, but we could see a few extremely bright ones. Is this due to the little polution, or the angle/position of the canary islands on the globe? I was very intrested when we were there and wondered why, so when I saw that you did some of your work in the Canary Islands, I thought that there nust be a specific reason, and I wanted to find out what it is, Thanks! From balletshoes1998 From Howell's School Llaandaff
- Keywords:
  light pollution,
  research,
  star,
  travel
Asked by balletshoes1998 to Nazim on 19 Mar 2012.
- Nazim Bharmal answered on 19 Mar 2012:
  
  When we go to the Canary Islands, we go up to the top of the volcano that is La Palma. The mountain on Tenerife is higher but not so easy to get to. The tops of the mountains are usually above the lowest clouds, so you may see nothing from near the sea but it will be completely clear at the top. La Palma is one of the best places to go to see stars, as it is often clear and the atmosphere is relatively still too so the twinkling is also quite subdued. So if you go to Tenerife again, ask to up Mount Teide and then have a look at the stars: it is amazing how many thousands you can see.