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 The first SONG node has been build and set up at the site in Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands in Spain. The site is located in Izaña at Observatorio del Teide, which is approximately 2.400 meters above sea level. There are a number of criteria to look for when choosing an observatory site. - If other observatories are at the site already the infrastructure is already there. This means that the necessary power and Internet connections will easily be installed. - The hight above sea level is relevant since the ligth from distant astronomical objects will pass through the Earths atmosphere which will scatter the ligth. If the light has to pass through less of the atmosphere a smaller amount will be scattered away and since the more light the better the higher the observatory is placed the better. If the telescope is placed at a high enough elevation it might be clear of low hanging clouds as well. - The location in latitude on Earth is relevant since some parts of the sky is only visible from certain places on the globe: the southern skies are not visible from the North pole and so on. - Some locations are more relevant than others because of logistics. A site which is only possible to reach by helicopter or another exotic vehicle is not desired. A site where a permenant staff is present is also a plus in case of emergencies. This means that the site should not be placed at locations where extreme conditions occurs, like on the top of mt. Everest... - The better and constant the weather is the more observations can be carried out. Clouds, high wind speeds, high humidity and so on will force the observatory to close due to risk of damaging the telescope and instruments. - Other things like political situations, collaboration etc. have to be taken into account when choosing a good location. |
