Telescopio Nazionale Galileo (TNG) - 30th Anniversary Gala

On 22 September 2026, the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo celebrated 30 years since its inauguration with a gala at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory on La Palma (Canary Islands, Spain). The TNG is Italy's national 3.58 m telescope. It is owned by INAF (Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica) and operated by the Fundación Galileo Galilei. It was inaugurated on 29 June 1996, saw first light in 1998, and has since become a reference facility for exoplanet research with HARPS-N, as well as for the study of transients, Solar System bodies and the distant Universe. The ceremony brought together representatives of the Italian and Spanish scientific institutions and local authorities. It included a tribute to the staff who have kept the telescope running for three decades. The event is in Spanish and Italian. Subtitles are available in both languages (CC). Chapters 0:00 Welcome - Estrella Hernández (host) 5:05 Archive video: the 1996 inauguration 12:06 Adriano Ghedina, Director of the TNG 17:43 Cesare Barbieri, Professor Emeritus, University of Padua 21:06 Valentín Martínez Pillet, Director of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) 27:26 Sergio Scopetta, Scientific Attaché, Embassy of Italy in Madrid 32:55 Gaetano Telesio, Director General of INAF 41:52 Isabella Pagano, Scientific Director of INAF 45:30 Video message from Anna Maria Bernini, Italian Minister of University and Research 47:56 Roberto Ragazzoni, President of INAF and of the Fundación Galileo Galilei 58:54 Tribute to the TNG staff 1:06:30 Piano performance by Blanca Quevedo Sanz (Chopin; Antonio Soler, Sonata No. 54 in C major) 1:21:56 José Ángel Sánchez, Mayor of Garafía 1:24:52 Anselmo Pestana, Delegate of the Government of Spain in the Canary Islands 1:29:12 Sergio Rodríguez, President of the Cabildo de La Palma 1:36:28 Closing remarks #TNG #TelescopioNazionaleGalileo #INAF #LaPalma #AstronomyTelescopio Nazionale Galileo