The Nordic Optical Telescope (NOT) is a 3.58-meter optical telescope located at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory on the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands, Spain. The NOT is operated jointly by Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden.
The telescope has a flexible schedule that allows it to be used for both long-term projects and time-critical observations. It is equipped with a wide range of instrumentation, including imaging cameras, spectrographs, and high-speed photometers.
The main scientific goals of the NOT are to study star formation and evolution, stellar populations in nearby galaxies, variable stars, exoplanets, and active galactic nuclei. The telescope has been used to discover more than 100 planets outside our solar system and to make important contributions to our understanding of star formation processes.
The site chosen for the NOT was selected because it offers excellent conditions for astronomical observations: low levels of light pollution and stable atmospheric conditions. The observatory is situated 2200 meters above sea level, which further reduces atmospheric turbulence.
Construction of the Nordic Optical Telescope began in 1985 and was completed in 1987. The first scientific observations were made in 1988.