Galáctica’s first telescope owned by another organisation will officially begin operating on Wednesday, 30 September. Under the agreement, this “guest” telescope will remain at the centre for the next four years, marking the launch of one of the services Galáctica was designed to provide: hosting telescopes for other institutions. It will allow residents of Binaced-Valcarca to observe the sky remotely using an instrument located in Arcos de las Salinas. The first remote connection is scheduled for that day.

The launch will bring Binaced-Valcarca and Javalambre together through more than just the telescope. On Wednesday morning, CEFCA Director Javier Cenarro will give a talk at IES Sierra de San Quílez secondary school in Binéfar, rounding off a “summer of astronomy”. With support from CEFCA, Binaced has organised a series of talks exploring topics such as asteroids, women’s contributions to astronomy, and the relationship between culture and eclipses. A workshop has also given schoolchildren the opportunity to explore the Sun through solar telescopes.

From 20:00 on Wednesday, residents of Binaced-Valcarca will take a journey through the Universe in a session led by CEFCA’s founding director, Mariano Moles, who was born in the municipality, in the province of Huesca. He will be joined by Javier Sorinas, Mayor of Binaced-Valcarca; CEFCA’s director; and Stelios Pyrzas, Galáctica’s coordinator and a member of CEFCA’s Scientific Culture and Innovation Unit (UCC+i).

Sharing a telescope across 400 km

Named TBVG40, short for Telescopio Binaced Valcarca en Galáctica, the telescope belongs to Binaced-Valcarca Town Council, in the Cinca Medio area of Huesca province. The council will use it to run astronomy activities, observing the sky remotely from its location in Arcos de las Salinas, Teruel. Hosting the instrument strengthens Galáctica’s role as both a scientific facility and an excellent location for observing the sky, alongside its mission to offer astronomy outreach and hands-on observing experiences.

The telescope has a primary mirror 40 centimetres in diameter and is equipped with a large-format CMOS camera (9,000 × 6,000 pixels), a filter wheel, a selection of optical filters and an autoguiding system. Autoguiding helps maintain accurate tracking during long exposures, enabling the telescope to capture images for both scientific research and astrophotography.

Under the agreement, CEFCA is responsible for installing the telescope, carrying out routine maintenance and providing the facilities needed for remote access and operation. In return, the Centro de Estudios de Física del Cosmos de Aragón will also be able to use the instrument for scientific activities, including monitoring variable astronomical objects, supporting other activities and providing practical training in astronomical observation.

The collaboration agreement between CEFCA and the town council has already been signed. The mount and optical tube arrived at Galáctica several months ago, and installation is now almost complete. Three of Galáctica’s nine domes are currently occupied. The new instrument joins the GT80, which has an 80-centimetre primary mirror, and the GTS solar telescope, expanding the centre’s capacity for scientific work and astronomy activities.