03-22-2016, 06:04 PM
"Was the Canary Islands one of the sites already tested?"
No. The main site (Roque de los Muchachos Observatory) on La Palma is a great astronomical site for optical work, but not that good for infrared observations. The TMT is an optical/infrared telescope so suspect that site was not tested because it was already known that it wouldn't help exploit TMT's IR capabilities. In addition, Spain is not a TMT partner country and am sure that played a role in not considering La Palma. Chile, on the other hand, has connections with US-led astronomy projects and agreed to site testing in the Andes even if the country is not a direct partner.
ETA: typo fix and additional info.
No. The main site (Roque de los Muchachos Observatory) on La Palma is a great astronomical site for optical work, but not that good for infrared observations. The TMT is an optical/infrared telescope so suspect that site was not tested because it was already known that it wouldn't help exploit TMT's IR capabilities. In addition, Spain is not a TMT partner country and am sure that played a role in not considering La Palma. Chile, on the other hand, has connections with US-led astronomy projects and agreed to site testing in the Andes even if the country is not a direct partner.
ETA: typo fix and additional info.