Characterization of the candidate site for the Cherenkov Telescope Array at the Observatorio del Teide

TL;DR

This paper assesses a candidate site near Observatorio del Teide for the Cherenkov Telescope Array, comparing environmental conditions with the main observatory to determine suitability for astronomical observations.

Contribution

It provides a detailed comparison of environmental conditions between the candidate site and the established observatory, highlighting differences relevant for CTA deployment.

Findings

Winds are generally softer at the candidate site.

Background light levels are comparable to ORM in B-band.

Slightly higher background light in V-band at the candidate site.

Abstract

The Spanish partners of the future Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) have selected a candidate site for the Northern installation of CTA, at 3 km from the Observatorio del Teide (OT), in the Canary Island of Tenerife. As the OT is a very well-characterized astronomical site. We focus here on differences between the publicly accessible measurements from the OT observatory and those obtained with instruments deployed at the candidate site. We find that the winds are generally softer at the candidate site, and the level of background light comparable to the Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos (ORM) at La Palma in the B-band, while it is only slightly higher in the V-band.