Mount Lemmon Observatory

The Mount Lemmon Observatory Mount Lemmon Observatory ( MLO), also known as Mount Lemmon Infrared Observatory, is an astronomical observatory and is located in 2790 m altitude on the summit of Mount Lemmon in the Santa Catalina Mountains about 28 km ( 17 mi ) north- -east of Tucson in the U.S. state of Arizona. The plant in the Coronado National Forest is operated with an exemption from the U.S. Forest Service through the Steward Observatory of the University of Arizona, and includes a number of independently managed telescopes.

History of the Observatory

The Mount Lemmon Observatory was originally built in 1954 as a radar station of the Air Defense Command, called Mount Lemmon Air Force Station. After the transfer to the Steward Observatory in 1970, the plant was converted into an infrared observatory. By 2003, a controlled Fort Huachuca from radar tower for observation of rocket launches the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico and Vandenberg Air Force Base was used in California.

Instrumentation

• The 152 -cm Steward Observatory telescope is a Cassegrain telescope and is used for the Mount Lemmon Survey ( MLS), which forms part of the Catalina Sky Survey (CSS). It was built in the late 1960s and was originally installed at the Catalina Station on Mount Bigelow in the Santa Catalina Mountains. It was launched in 1972 to Mount Lemmon and 1975 mounted to its present location. The original metal main mirror yielded poor quality and was replaced in 1977 by a glass mirror of Cer -Vit It is one of the telescopes that are used by the students in the Astronomy Camps. With it, the asteroid 2011 AG5 was discovered, which reached the level 1 at the Turin scale

• A usable both in the optical range and in the near-infrared 152 -cm Dall - Kirkham telescope was put into operation in 1970 and is the only one operated by the University of Minnesota ( UMN ) instrument on Mount Lemmon. It has basically the same design as the 152 -cm telescope Steward and another in the observatory in the Sierra San Pedro Martir. The original metal main mirror was therefore the same weaknesses as the Stewart - telescope, and in 1974 replaced by a glass mirror of Cer -Vit. Companies was the telescope in collaboration with the University of California, San Diego (UCSD ).

• An installed in 2003 fully automatic telescope with a mirror diameter of 100 cm ( 39 in ) is the only instrument on Mount Lemmon, which is operated by the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute ( KASI ).

• The 81 -inch Schulman telescope ( 32 ) is a version built by RC Optical Systems Ritchey -Chrétien Cassegrain telescope was installed in September 2010. It is operated by the Mt Lemmon SkyCenter and is the largest public observatory in Arizona.