Mount Laguna Observatory facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mount Laguna Observatory
Dome of the Smith (24") Telescope at MLO
Organization	San Diego State University
Location	Mount Laguna, California
Coordinates	32°50′33″N 116°25′41″W / 32.8424°N 116.4280°W / 32.8424; -116.4280
Altitude	1,859 meters (6,099 ft)
Established	1968 (1968)
Telescopes Illinois Telescope 1.1 m reflector Smith Telescope 0.6 m reflector Buller Visitors' Telescope 0.5 m reflector Claud Telescope 1.25 m reflector EvryScope Multiple Aperture Survey

The Mount Laguna Observatory (MLO) is a special place where scientists and students study space. It's an observatory owned and run by San Diego State University (SDSU). MLO is located about 75 kilometers (47 mi) east of San Diego, California. You can find it high up in the Laguna Mountains, inside the Cleveland National Forest.

MLO officially opened on June 19, 1968. This happened after SDSU's Department of Astronomy became its own department. For many years, SDSU worked with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) at the observatory. Today, SDSU works with the University of Kansas (KU) and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on different space projects.

What Telescopes Are at MLO?

MLO has several powerful telescopes. These tools help astronomers look far into space. They use them to study stars, planets, and galaxies.

The Illinois Telescope

• This telescope is 1.06 m (42 in) (about 40 inches) wide. It's a type of telescope called a Cassegrain reflector. This means it uses mirrors to gather light from space. It was built in 1966.
• It's called the Illinois telescope because it used to be at the Prairie Observatory in Illinois until 1981.

The Clifford Smith Telescope

• The Clifford Smith telescope is 0.6 m (24 in) (about 24 inches) wide. It's also a Cassegrain reflector.
• SDSU's astronomy department built this telescope. It was first used on the main campus from 1961 to 1966. Then, after some changes, it was moved to MLO in 1971.

The Reginald Buller Visitors' Telescope

• This telescope is 0.52 m (20 in) (about 21 inches) wide. It was built in 1950.
• Reginald Buller gave this telescope to SDSU. It was set up at MLO in 1988.
• Students often use it to look directly at space. It's also used for special events where visitors can look through it.

The EvryScope

• The EvryScope is a very special survey telescope. It has 24 smaller lenses, each .062 m (2.4 in) wide.
• It can take pictures of huge areas of the sky very quickly. It captures about 8,000 square degrees of sky every two minutes!
• SDSU works with the UNC on this exciting project.

Future Telescopes at MLO

MLO is always growing and adding new tools to explore space.

The Phillips Claud Telescope

• The Phillips Claud Telescope will be 1.25 m (49 in) (about 50 inches) wide. It's currently being built.
• This project is a team effort between SDSU and the University of Kansas (KU). It's expected to start working soon.

Past Telescopes at MLO

Over the years, MLO has used different telescopes. Some have been replaced by newer, more powerful ones.

• One of the first telescopes at MLO was 0.4 m (16 in) wide. It was built by a company called Boller and Chivens. The new Claud telescope is replacing it.
• Another 0.4 m (16 in) telescope was used by visitors. It was moved to another campus in 1988 and replaced by the Buller telescope.
• The 1.0 m (39 in) ULTRA telescope was used from 2006 to 2008. ULTRA stands for Ultra-Light Technology for Research in Astronomy. It was a test telescope for new, lightweight mirrors made of carbon fiber. This project was a team effort with SDSU, KU, Dartmouth College, and Composite Mirror Applications, Inc.