Anderson Mesa Station
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Anderson Mesa Station
| Lowell Observatory, Anderson Mesa Station | |||||||||||
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| Organization | Lowell Observatory, United States Naval Observatory | ||||||||||
| Code | 688 | ||||||||||
| Location | Coconino County, near Flagstaff, Arizona | ||||||||||
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Coordinates
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| Altitude | 2,163 meters (7,096 ft) | ||||||||||
| Established | 1959 | ||||||||||
| Website Lowell Observatory |
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Anderson Mesa Station is an astronomical observatory established in 1959 as a dark-sky observing site for Lowell Observatory. It is located in Coconino County, Arizona (USA), about 12 miles southeast of Lowell's main campus on Mars Hill in Flagstaff, Arizona.
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Contents
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Telescopes
Current telescopes
- The 1.83 m (72 in) Perkins Telescope is shared with Boston University (BU) and Georgia State University.[1] Built in 1931 by Warner & Swasey Company, it was originally located at the Perkins Observatory of Ohio Wesleyan University (OWU) in Delaware, Ohio.[2][3] It was moved to Anderson Mesa in 1961, and was purchased by Lowell in 1998. Lowell and BU formed a partnership to operate the telescope that year, and GSU joined later.[4] The original 69-inch mirror, which was figured by J. W. Fecker, Inc., was the largest single piece of glass ever cast in America when it was poured.[2] It was replaced in 1965 with the current mirror made of Duran-50 low-expansion glass.[5][6]
- The 1.07 m (42 in) John Hall Telescope was built by AstroMechanics and installed at Anderson Mesa in 1970.[7] It was named after former Lowell Observatory director John S. Hall in 1990.[8] In 2004, the Ritchey-Chrétien telescope was upgraded with a new mirror from Hextek, and with other parts.[9]
- The 0.79 m (31 in) National Undergraduate Research Observatory (NURO) Telescope was built by AstroMechanics and installed in 1964 at Anderson Mesa by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) for Project Apollo.[10] It was purchased by Lowell in 1972, and refurbished in 1990.[11][8] It is used by the NURO consortium for up to 60% of the time, and by Lowell scientists.
- The Navy Optical Interferometer (NOI) is collaboration of Lowell Observatory, the U.S. Naval Observatory (USNO) Flagstaff Station (NOFS), and the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL).[12] Construction on the facility began in 1992, and engineering tests began in 1994. The first images were acquired in 1996.[13]
Former telescopes
- The 0.6 m (24 in) Lowell Observatory Near-Earth-Object Search (LONEOS) Schmidt camera was used to search for asteroids and other near-earth objects. It was built by J. W. Fecker, Inc. in 1939, given to Perkins Observatory in the 1950s, and purchased by Lowell in 1990.[8] Starting in 1992 it was refurbished, and saw first light in the dome that previously held the Lowell Astrograph in 1997.[14] Use of the telescope ended along with the LONEOS project in 2008.
- The 0.33 m (13 in) Abbot L. Lowell Astrograph, also known as the Pluto Discovery Telescope and informally as the Pluto Camera, is an astrograph built by Alvan Clark & Sons in 1929. In 1930 it was used by Clyde Tombaugh to discover Pluto.[15] In 1971, it was moved a new building at Anderson Mesa, and returned to Mars Hill in 1992.[16][17]
See also
- Lowell Observatory
- United States Naval Observatory Flagstaff Station
- List of astronomical observatories
References
- ^ "72-inch Perkins | Telescopes | Resarch | Lowell Observatory". Lowell Observatory. http://www.lowell.edu/research_telescopes_perkins.php. Retrieved 2012-01-11.
- ^ a b "History of Perkins Observatory". Perkins Observatory. http://www.perkins-observatory.org/history.html#69%20inch%20mirror. Retrieved 2012-01-11.
- ^ Phillips, Earl W., Jr.. "A Short History of Perkins Observatory". The SETI League, Inc.. http://www.setileague.org/articles/perkins.htm. Retrieved 2012-01-22.
- ^ Horstman, H. S. (1999). "Lowell Observatory, Flagstaff, Arizona 86001. Report for the period 1 Jul 1997 - 30 Jun 1998". Bulletin of the Astronomical Society 31: 179. Bibcode 1999BAAS...31..179H.
- ^ Abrahams, Peter. "The Telescopes of Lowell Observatory". http://home.europa.com/~telscope/lowell.txt. Retrieved 2012-01-11.
- ^ Hall, S. J. (1964). "Lowell Observatory report". Astronomical Journal 69: 684. Bibcode 1964AJ.....69..684H. doi:10.1086/109345.
- ^ Hall, J. S. (1971). "Lowell Observatory, Flagstaff, Arizona. Report 1969-1970". Bulletin of the Astronomical Society 3: 125. Bibcode 1971BAAS....3..125H.
- ^ a b c Horstman, H. S.; Millis, R. L. (1991). "Lowell Observatory, Flagstaff, Arizona 86001. Report for the period 1 Jul 1989 - 30 Jun 1990". Bulletin of the Astronomical Society 23: 361. Bibcode 1991BAAS...23..361H.
- ^ "42-inch Hall Telescope | Telescopes | Resarch | Lowell Observatory". Lowell Observatory. http://www.lowell.edu/research_telescopes_hall.php. Retrieved 2012-01-11.
- ^ Schaber, Gerald G. (2005). [pubs.usgs.gov/of/2005/1190/of2005-1190.pdf "The U.S. Geological Survey, Branch of Astrogeology—A Chronology of Activities from Conception through the End of Project Apollo (1960- 1973)"]. United States Geological Survey. pubs.usgs.gov/of/2005/1190/of2005-1190.pdf. Retrieved 2012-01-22.
- ^ "31-inch NURO Telescope | Telescopes | Resarch | Lowell Observatory". Lowell Observatory. http://www.lowell.edu/research_telescopes_nuro.php. Retrieved 2012-01-11.
- ^ "NOI Telescope | Telescopes | Resarch | Lowell Observatory". Lowell Observatory. http://www.lowell.edu/research_telescopes_noi.php. Retrieved 2012-01-11.
- ^ Armstrong, J. T.; Mozurkewich, D.; Rickard, L. J; Hutter, D. J.; Benson, J. A.; Bowers, P. F.; Elias Ii, N. M.; Hummel, C. A. et al (1998). "The Navy Prototype Optical Interferometer". The Astrophysical Journal 496: 550. Bibcode 1998ApJ...496..550A. doi:10.1086/305365.
- ^ "Observing Site". Lowell Observatory. http://www2.lowell.edu/users/elgb/observing_site.html. Retrieved 2012-01-11.
- ^ "Our History: Discovering Pluto | About Us | Lowell Observatory". Lowell Observatory. http://www.lowell.edu/about_history_pluto.php. Retrieved 2012-01-11.
- ^ Hall, J. S. (1972). "Lowell Observatory, Flagstaff, Arizona. Observatory report". Bulletin of the Astronomical Society 4: 105. Bibcode 1972BAAS....4..105H.
- ^ Horstman, H. S. (1995). "Lowell Observatory, Flagstaff, Arizona 86001. Report for the period 1 Jul 1993 - 30 Jun 1994". Bulletin of the Astronomical Society 27: 267. Bibcode 1995BAAS...27..267H.
External links
- Lowell Observatory website
- Anderson Mesa Station Clear sky clock Weather forecasts for observing conditions.
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