We headed south to Mt. Hopkins to visit MMT, the Smithsonian Observatory, the Veritas Array, and the Whipple Observatory. We got explore the power/computer shed for one of the Veritas gamma telescopes (four 12 meter telescopes made of about 250 hexagonal mirror sections). We also got to see the HATS looking for exoplanets.
MMT was just as impressive this time as it was when I saw it two years ago. The 6 meter mirror was completely exposed. We got to see it getting cleaned with cold CO2. I was excited to hear that they are looking for more telescope operators for MMT. It would be great to work at that telescope.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
wednesday is telescope day
Today we drove up to Mt. Hopkins, where we toured the MMT Observatory. First, we visited the visitor center at the base of the mountain. There we saw some gamma ray telescopes, and we got to view the complex electronics behind one of them. Then we started driving the long, scenic road up the mountain. The MMT Observatory was at an altitude of 10,000 feet, and there was a little snow and ice near the top. The telescope had a huge primary mirror, 6.5 meters in diameter, and it was housed in a rotating building. We saw the mirror start to get cleaned with a carbon dioxide wash. Later we saw two smaller telescopes and a gamma ray telescope. We all saw our faces in the gamma ray mirrors by standing at a certain position. It was interesting to learn how the MMT was built and operated, and it was really cool driving up and down the mountains. We got some time off in the afternoon, which was nice, and we ended the day with dinner at an Irish pub where we developed our team-building skills.
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