Astrophotography Trip to Tenerife: Equipment Transport and Best Value for Money Places

[bess]

Hey fellow astrophotographers,

I'm planning a trip to Tenerife with a couple of friends for some astrophotography, and I have a few concerns I'd like to address. I'm hoping that some of you with experience can offer advice and insights into making this trip successful.

Transporting Equipment: One of my primary concerns is how to transport our astrophotography equipment safely. I have some delicate and expensive gear, and I want to make sure it arrives in one piece. Any tips on packing, airline regulations, or protective cases would be greatly appreciated.

Best Value for Money Places: Tenerife is known for its dark skies, making it an excellent location for astrophotography. However, I want to find a spot that offers a good balance between cost and quality. Are there any specific locations on the island that you've found to be a great value for astrophotography? I'd love to hear about your experiences and any cost-effective accommodations or camping sites.

Local Regulations: It's essential to be aware of any local regulations or guidelines for astrophotography in Tenerife. If you've been there recently, please share any insights regarding permits, light pollution, or other considerations.

How to obtain power: Obviously we can't take our big power packs on the plane so stumbles as to how we can go about powering our equipment while out in the sticks

Weather and Best Time to Visit: Tenerife's weather can be quite variable. When is the best time to visit for astrophotography, considering the least amount of cloud cover and atmospheric stability? Any specific months or seasons to aim for?

Tips for Astrophotography in Tenerife: Any general tips or experiences related to astrophotography in Tenerife would be highly valuable. What kind of celestial objects can one expect to capture, and are there any unique challenges or opportunities?

I would greatly appreciate any advice or recommendations from those who have had firsthand experience with astrophotography in Tenerife. Your insights will not only help me but also fellow astrophotographers looking to embark on a similar journey.

Thanks in advance for your help, and I'm looking forward to your responses! 🌌📷✨

Edited October 29, 2023 by bess

[Peter Drew]

Not an imager but pre Covid I was a frequent astro visitor.  4 things I could mention, check the Moon phases at the date you plan to visit, check for Calima weather conditions, it gets very cold at night at high altitude, you can usually get a better exchange rate for euros at local kiosks.

By law, advertising hoardings and hotel signs are switched off at 11pm, street lights are subdued compared to the UK. 

Best to concentrate on objects not seen in higher latitudes, Omega Centauri is a good object at the right time of year,  Canopus is above the horizon!      🙂  

[OK Apricot]

I went to Fuerteventura in June with easyjet so I can at least speak for travel. 

Get a robust flight case and get as much of your gear in there as you can allowing for good padding. I paid for upfront seats 1) because I love flying and like to look out of a window and 2) those give you a large cabin bag as well. Speedy boarding can help make sure you get on first with loads of room in the overhead lockers so no chance of crew telling you your gear has to go in the hold if there was no room in the cabin. 

As for power check the airline regs, but usually they will let you bring on one lithium battery up to 100Wh and a spare but these have to go in your cabin bag. 

A couple other things -  blunt objects could be considered dangerous in the cabin (like counterweight and bar) so best to pack those in your hold luggage. Also, I didn't need dew straps when I went but took them just in case - Gatwick security had a wonderful time trying to figure out what it was that their x-ray machines couldn't see through, and it was the straps. I'd packed everything a specific way to fit it in my small cabin bag and they gutted the thing finding them. I suggest leaving those somewhere easy to get to! 

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Just my tuppence: I pack anything to do with the mount in the hold, and only the optics in my hand luggage. I use a camera bag to transport the 80mm F/6 triplet I generally use for AP, together with the flattener, a few EPs and a diagonal. Astro cameras, in well-padded boxes I put in the check-in luggage, as a rule

[Mandy D]

Presumably, you will be hiring a car to transport your kit on the island, so you could consider using the battery on that for power. I would hire a diesel vehicle with manual transmission, if possible, for the larger battery. Also, keep an eye on the power drain and perhaps run the engine for a while during a long session. Also, park on a hill, facing downwards, then if the worst does happen and you have a flat battery you can bump start a manual vehicle.

[DirkSteele]

Optics in the cabin, tripod and mount etc can go in the hold. Wrapped in clothes in a suitcase and served me well for many years. I tend to secure the tripod with  cable lock in side the case just on the off chance a less than honest security person opens up the bag. It won’t stop a determined individual but makes a snatch and grab impossible.

For optics, maximise the carry on allowance. Never seen anyone weigh a bag (so long as you can lift in to the overhead bin) but dimensions can cause issues. I have experienced multiple size allowances over the years. A flavour below (the backpack is a camera bag and small enough to under the seat).

 

One other thing I have found helpful. X-ray scanner staff see camera all the time. Telescopes and similar not so much. A camera in the bag makes the scope lol like a huge telephoto lens. Never had questions with a camera present. Also have a star chart handy to get over any language barriers (that was a Middle East experience).

 

[LandyJon]

I haven't been back since getting in to astronomy properly, but having lived there for many years (albeit 15+ years ago) I'd suggest looking in the Vilaflor area for accommodations / campsites, its the highest altitude settlement and is on the south side of Teide, a short drive from the Las Canadas ridge where the big observatories are.

Got me wanting to go back now !

[uhb1966]

i want a hacienda in vilaflor!!! 😇

 

[Peter Drew]

You could try contacting Tenerife Astro Society <tenerifeastrosociety@tenerifeastrosociety> they are at the Vilaflor end of Tenerife.      🙂

[LandyJon]

11 hours ago, uhb1966 said:

i want a hacienda in vilaflor!!! 😇

 

I had a friend with a finca there, I should try get back in touch with him for a visit.

[Scosmico]

HAve you gone there already? How was it?

[GTom]

I am upgrading my Lightrack II tracker to a more user and telescope friendly mount and happy to see that many fly with mounts checked-in. Until now I was considering a SA GTi, but that one would be seriously overloaded. Might still get one, but an HEQ5 would be a much more reliable support to my TSAPO906...

Tripod lengths are critical for airline travel, I am currently looking at options, how to adapt an EQ5/HEQ5 properly to an innorel RT carbon tripod.

[Xilman]

I'm in La Palma right now and could see Tenerife if I drove to the other (i.e east) side of the island. Although my experience of astrotourism is strictly Palmeran, there are some things which are universa in these partsl.

As noted above, cars make good power supplies. Most rental cars are fairly new and have fairly new batteries. Go for a drive before an observing session to ensure that the battery is fully charged. Take croc-clips with you to connect to the battery as you can't be sure what is available on the car.

Several outfits here in LP rent equipment. You may only need to take your camera, say, and rent the rest, or rent the mount. I am giving serious thought to providing that sort of thing myself but it won't happen just yet.

Also as noted above, check out local astronomers. Finding them will be a worthy exercise in the use of search engines and, perhaps, English <-> español translation sites.

Take plenty of storage with you, whether microSD, thumb drives, external USB drives or whatever. Make copies of your hard-won data and put one set in the hold and other in hand luggage. Data will not be covered by your insurance if it goes missing.

Paul