After a closure of nearly six months, the Temisas Mario Villanueva Astronomical Observatory, located in the municipality of Agüimes, has reopened its doors to visitors. The interruption of its activities was due to damage sustained by the GC-550 road as a result of Storm Therese, which hindered access to the facilities.
The closure of the communication routes between Temisas and Santa Lucía de Tirajana forced the suspension of the regular night observation sessions organized by the Canarian Foundation Observatory of Temisas on weekends. These sessions, which gathered groups of 15 to 20 people, are crucial for scientific outreach and leisure.
Arabela de la Nuez Cruz, a trustee of the Foundation, explained that the closure has had a significant economic impact, leaving the entity's accounts in the negative. The income generated from these visits is essential for funding other educational and astronomical outreach initiatives.
The problem began after the storm passed, damaging the access roads and severely limiting visitor reception. Even the travel of some professionals to the facilities was undertaken at their own risk due to the condition of the roads.
The prolonged period of inactivity not only affected finances but also the observatory's outreach mission. De la Nuez highlighted the need to "start from scratch" to promote the center's main objective: familiarizing the public with the sky.
The observatory, named in honor of its initiator, Mario Villanueva, known as "the friend of the stars" and who passed away recently, has dedicated years to scientific dissemination through public observations, workshops, and educational activities for schoolchildren and families.
During the closure, the foundation sought alternatives, such as children's workshops at the Las Arenas shopping center and educational activities at the Municipal Library of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria focusing on eclipses, to maintain contact with the public.
With the road access restored, the Mario Villanueva Observatory of Temisas is resuming its weekend observation sessions. The current challenge is to attract visitors again and re-establish Temisas as a key meeting point for those seeking to explore the stars from one of Gran Canaria's reference astronomical sites.
