Anderson Mesa Station facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lowell Observatory, Anderson Mesa Station |
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| Organization | Lowell Observatory, United States Naval Observatory | ||||||||||
| Location | Coconino County, near Flagstaff, Arizona | ||||||||||
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Coordinates
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35°05′49″N 111°32′09″W / 35.09694°N 111.53583°W
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| Altitude | 2,163 meters (7,096 ft) | ||||||||||
| Established | 1959 | ||||||||||
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The Anderson Mesa Station is a special place where scientists study the stars and planets. It's an astronomical observatory that opened in 1959. Its main purpose was to provide a very dark sky for Lowell Observatory to make observations.
This station is located on Anderson Mesa in Coconino County, Arizona, USA. It's about 12 miles (19 kilometers) southeast of Lowell Observatory's main campus in Flagstaff, Arizona.
Contents
Telescopes at Anderson Mesa
Current Telescopes
Scientists and students use several powerful telescopes at Anderson Mesa today.
Perkins Telescope
The Perkins Telescope is a very large telescope, measuring about 1.83 meters (72 inches) across. It is shared by Lowell Observatory with Boston University and Georgia State University. This telescope was first built in 1931. It was originally located in Ohio before being moved to Anderson Mesa in 1961.
Lowell Observatory bought the telescope in 1998. The first mirror for this telescope was the largest piece of glass ever made in America at that time. A newer, better mirror was put in place in 1965.
John Hall Telescope
The John Hall Telescope is 1.07 meters (42 inches) wide. It was set up at Anderson Mesa in 1970. In 1990, it was named after John S. Hall, who used to be the director of Lowell Observatory.
This telescope is a special type called a Ritchey-Chrétien telescope. It was updated in 2004 with a new mirror and other parts to make it even better.
NURO Telescope
The National Undergraduate Research Observatory (NURO) telescope is 0.79 meters (31 inches) wide. It was installed in 1964 by the United States Geological Survey (USGS). This was for Project Apollo, which was the mission to send humans to the Moon.
Lowell Observatory bought this telescope in 1972. It was updated in 1990. Students from the NURO group use it for much of the time. Lowell scientists also use it for their research.
The Navy Precision Optical Interferometer (NPOI) is a special project. It's a team effort between Lowell Observatory, the United States Naval Observatory (USNO) Flagstaff Station, and the United States Naval Research Laboratory. An Interferometer combines light from several smaller telescopes. This makes them work together like one giant telescope.
Building for this facility started in 1992. The first images from it were captured in 1996.
Former Telescopes
Some telescopes that were once at Anderson Mesa have been moved or are no longer in use.
LONEOS Schmidt Camera
The Lowell Observatory Near-Earth-Object Search (LONEOS) used a 0.6-meter (24-inch) Schmidt camera. This telescope was used to find asteroids and other objects that come close to Earth. It was built in 1939.
Lowell Observatory bought it in 1990. After being updated, it started working in 1997. The LONEOS project ended in 2008, and so did the use of this telescope.
Pluto Discovery Telescope
The Abbot L. Lowell Astrograph is also known as the Pluto Discovery Telescope. It is a 0.33-meter (13-inch) telescope. It was built in 1929. In 1930, a famous astronomer named Clyde Tombaugh used it to discover the dwarf planet Pluto.
In 1971, this historic telescope was moved to a new building at Anderson Mesa. It was later returned to Lowell's main campus on Mars Hill in 1992.
See also
In Spanish: Estación Anderson Mesa para niños
