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La Palma observatory. Panoramic view of the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory on La Palma in the Canary Islands. The observatory is located on the lip of a great volcanic caldera (right) at an alt- itude of about 2400 metres (m). The telescope buildings seen here include the Nordic Optical Telescope (left), 4.2m William Herschel Telescope (centre left) and the Swedish Solar Telescope (solid tower at centre). The dome of the 2.5m Isaac Newton Telescope, & the grey building of the 1 metre Jacobus Kapteyn Telescope rise above the skyline at centre right. The high altitude of the observatory, and the clear air above it, minimise atmospheric distortions to incoming light. (KEYSTONE/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/DAVID PARKER)