Introduction
The Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes (ING) consists of the 4.2-m William Herschel Telescope (WHT), the 2.5-m Isaac Newton Telescope (INT), and the 1.0-m Jacobus Kapteyn Telescope (JKT), operating on the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands, Spain. The INT and JKT began scheduled use by the astronomical community in May 1984 and the WHT in August 1987. The Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes is operated on behalf of the UK Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC) and the Nederlanse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (NWO). The PPARC and the NWO have entered into collaborative agreements for the operation of and the sharing of observing time on the ING telescopes. The ING Board has been set up to oversee the operation of this agreement, to foster and develop collaboration between the astronomers of the UK and the Netherlands, and to ensure that the telescope installations are maintained in the forefront of world astronomy. In particular the ING Board oversees the programme of operation, maintenance, and development of the installations, approves annual budgets, and forward estimates and determines the arrangements for the allocation of observing time.
ING Mission Statement
The Observatorio del Roque de los MuchachosThe Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos occupies an area of nearly 2 square kilometres approximately 2400 metres above sea-level on the highest peak of the Caldera de Taburiente.The location of this observatory was chosen after an intensive search for a site with all-year round clear, dark skies. All tests proved that the Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos is one of the best astronomical sites in the world. The remoteness of the island and its lack of urban development ensure that the night sky at the observatory is free from artificial light pollution. The continued quality of the night sky is ensured by the 'Ley de Proteccion del Cielo'. The observatory on La Palma, and its sister observatory at Mount Teide on Tenerife, are the responsibility of the host institution, the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias. The Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos was established under a series of international agreements in 1979, and inaugurated in 1985. An inauguration ceremony took place in 1996, for the more recent additions to the facilities. (Pictures: 1985 inauguration, 1985 inauguration, 1996 inauguration, 1996 inauguration, the flags of the cosmos The telescopes at the observatory include the following:
Pictures: WHT dome, building cutaway, telescope, telescope schematic, mirror cell, mirror, cass instrument cluster, control room. Pictures: INT dome, telescope Pictures: JKT dome, telescope Pictures TNG dome, telescope Pictures: NOT dome Pictures: CAMC telescope Pictures: HEGRA Pictures: Solar tower Pictures: Dutch open telescope The ING sea-level base in Santa CruzA sea-level base has been established for ING, in collaboration with the Galileo and Nordic telescopes. This is located in Edificio Mayantigo, close to the harbour in Santa Cruz de La Palma (picture, map).In addition to offices for staff, the sea-level base provides accomodation, library and computing facilities for visiting observers. Visiting observers are encouraged to spend some time at sea-level, for pre-observation planning and/or post-observation data reduction. This should be particularly valuable as a way of improving contacts between the observatory and the user community.
ING facilities at the observatory An extensive range of support services are provided by ING, both for ING telescopes and for the other telescopes at the observatory. These include the following:
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