Anderson Mesa
Encyclopedia
Lowell Observatory, Anderson Mesa Station, USA, (IAU
code 688) was established in 1959 as a dark-sky observing site for Lowell Observatory
. Anderson Mesa is now home to several large reflecting telescopes that are used for observing programs such as LONEOS. The site is located in Coconino County
, about 12 miles southeast of Lowell's main campus on Mars Hill in Flagstaff, Arizona
.
with a large maximum baseline. It is a Y configuration of three 50 cm optical siderostats. The inner fixed stations are used for astrometry
while stations on the outer arms, out to an eventual separation of more than 300 m, are used for imaging star
s. The stations are connected by vacuum
beam lines. Fast delay lines in the main control building and long delay lines outside are used to adjust the optical phases to allow coherent combinations of up to six siderostats. Used for astrometry and astronomical imaging, the NPOI is a distributed aperture optical telescope. It is operated for astrometry by the USNO. Research into optical imaging and astronomical research is conducted by the NRL.
Funding for the NPOI was initiated by the Oceanographer of the Navy and the Office of Naval Research
(ONR) in 1989. Design work began on all phases of the project. After approximately a year and a half, the initial phase of construction was completed in early 1994. This included the concrete piers to hold the siderostats, beam compressors, elevator cans and center feed cans for the imaging and astrometric arrays, the control and lab buildings and the astrometric huts. The East arm feed pipe installation was completed by December 1998.
International Astronomical Union
The International Astronomical Union IAU is a collection of professional astronomers, at the Ph.D. level and beyond, active in professional research and education in astronomy...
code 688) was established in 1959 as a dark-sky observing site for Lowell Observatory
Lowell Observatory
Lowell Observatory is an astronomical observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona. Lowell Observatory was established in 1894, placing it among the oldest observatories in the United States, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1965....
. Anderson Mesa is now home to several large reflecting telescopes that are used for observing programs such as LONEOS. The site is located in Coconino County
Coconino County, Arizona
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*61.7% White*1.2% Black*27.3% Native American*1.4% Asian*0.1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*3.1% Two or more races*5.2% Other races*13.5% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
, about 12 miles southeast of Lowell's main campus on Mars Hill in Flagstaff, Arizona
Flagstaff, Arizona
Flagstaff is a city located in northern Arizona, in the southwestern United States. In 2010, the city's population was 65,870. The population of the Metropolitan Statistical Area was at 134,421 in 2010. It is the county seat of Coconino County...
.
Telescopes
- The 72-inch (1.8 m) Perkins Telescope, shared with Boston UniversityBoston UniversityBoston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
and moved to Anderson Mesa in 1961 from Perkins ObservatoryPerkins ObservatoryPerkins Observatory is an astronomical observatory in Delaware, Ohio. It is owned and operated by Ohio Wesleyan University.-Early history:The observatory is named for Hiram Perkins, a professor of mathematics and astronomy at the Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio from 1857 to 1907...
in Delaware, OhioDelaware, OhioThe City of Delaware is a city in and the county seat of Delaware County in the United States state of Ohio. Delaware was founded in 1808 and was incorporated in 1816. It is located near the center of Ohio, is about north of Columbus, and is part of the Columbus, Ohio Metropolitan Area...
(originally a 69-inch mirror, then the largest single piece of glass ever cast). - The 42-inch (1.1 m) John Hall Telescope
- A 31-inch (79 cm) telescope, originally used by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in a Moon-mapping project, later refurbished for use by undergraduates and the public
- The 24-inch (60 cm) Lowell Observatory Near-Earth-Object SearchLowell Observatory Near-Earth-Object SearchLowell Observatory Near-Earth-Object Search ' was a project designed to discover asteroids and comets that orbit near the Earth. The project, funded by NASA, was directed by Dr. Ted Bowell of Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona...
(LONEOS) Schmidt telescope, used in the search for asteroidAsteroidAsteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
s and other near-earth objectNear-Earth objectA near-Earth object is a Solar System object whose orbit brings it into close proximity with the Earth. All NEOs have a perihelion distance less than 1.3 AU. They include a few thousand near-Earth asteroids , near-Earth comets, a number of solar-orbiting spacecraft, and meteoroids large enough to...
s - The Navy Prototype Optical InterferometerNavy Prototype Optical InterferometerThe Navy Prototype Optical Interferometer , is an astronomical interferometer operated by the United States Naval Observatory Flagstaff Station, in collaboration with the Naval Research Laboratory and The Lowell Observatory...
(NPOI), a joint venture of the Lowell ObservatoryLowell ObservatoryLowell Observatory is an astronomical observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona. Lowell Observatory was established in 1894, placing it among the oldest observatories in the United States, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1965....
, the U.S. Naval Observatory (USNO), and the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL)
NPOI
The NPOI is an optical astronomical interferometerAstronomical interferometer
An astronomical interferometer is an array of telescopes or mirror segments acting together to probe structures with higher resolution by means of interferometry....
with a large maximum baseline. It is a Y configuration of three 50 cm optical siderostats. The inner fixed stations are used for astrometry
Astrometry
Astrometry is the branch of astronomy that involves precise measurements of the positions and movements of stars and other celestial bodies. The information obtained by astrometric measurements provides information on the kinematics and physical origin of our Solar System and our Galaxy, the Milky...
while stations on the outer arms, out to an eventual separation of more than 300 m, are used for imaging star
Star
A star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity. At the end of its lifetime, a star can also contain a proportion of degenerate matter. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth...
s. The stations are connected by vacuum
Vacuum
In everyday usage, vacuum is a volume of space that is essentially empty of matter, such that its gaseous pressure is much less than atmospheric pressure. The word comes from the Latin term for "empty". A perfect vacuum would be one with no particles in it at all, which is impossible to achieve in...
beam lines. Fast delay lines in the main control building and long delay lines outside are used to adjust the optical phases to allow coherent combinations of up to six siderostats. Used for astrometry and astronomical imaging, the NPOI is a distributed aperture optical telescope. It is operated for astrometry by the USNO. Research into optical imaging and astronomical research is conducted by the NRL.
Funding for the NPOI was initiated by the Oceanographer of the Navy and the Office of Naval Research
Office of Naval Research
The Office of Naval Research , headquartered in Arlington, Virginia , is the office within the United States Department of the Navy that coordinates, executes, and promotes the science and technology programs of the U.S...
(ONR) in 1989. Design work began on all phases of the project. After approximately a year and a half, the initial phase of construction was completed in early 1994. This included the concrete piers to hold the siderostats, beam compressors, elevator cans and center feed cans for the imaging and astrometric arrays, the control and lab buildings and the astrometric huts. The East arm feed pipe installation was completed by December 1998.
External links
- Anderson Mesa Station Clear sky clock Weather forecasts for observing conditions.