Apache Point Observatory
- Description
-
The Apache Point
Observatory houses two major and several smaller
telescopes. The 3.5-meter telescope is a general purpose
research facility on which the UW receives 25% of the
observing time; the remainder is divided among 6 other
university institutions. The UW's share is used primarily for
faculty and graduate student research; much of the operation
is remotely via the internet. One
example of the research conducted with the 3.5-m telescope is the measurement
of the moon's orbit to a precision of a half inch as a stringent test Einstein's
theories of time and gravitation. The second major
project is the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), a collaborative project
of 10 educational institutions worldwide to provide the first
ever digital map of the heavens, using a special purpose
2.5-meter diameter telescope. The
first 5-year phase of the deep sky survey was been completed in 2005, and
a three-year extension is underway to map the structure of the Milky Way
and to detect and monitor the flares of faint supernovae that trace the
acceleration of the expansion of the Universe.
View of the SDSS 2.5 m and 3.5 m telescopes from the
south.
- Location
- Sunspot, NM
- Contact
- Julie Lutz, Astronomy, 206-685-9010,
jlutz@astro.washington.edu
- Acreage
- N/A
- Buildings
- 10 total: telescope enclosures, support buildings,
dormitories, etc.
- Equipment
- Two large and several smaller telescopes; numerous support
and test facilities, shops, and computers.
- Housing
- Dormitory
- Owner
- Astrophysical Research Consortium (ARC), Inc., of which UW
is a member. Site is on US Forest Service land, with long-term
use permit.
- Support
- Capital expenses for construction of the facilities were
provided by a variety of grants from federal agencies, as well
as contributions from the individual member universities.
Operating expenses are funded by member contributions. The UW
operating contributions are from general operating funds as
well as funds provided by the UW Astronomy
Department.
- Recent Usage
- The 3.5-m telescope is a general purpose facility used for
planetary, galactic, and extragalactic astronomy. It is a
primary tool for UW graduate student thesis dissertation
research. The Sloan Digital Sky Survey will produce a permanent
digital archive of the sky, available to the public, upon its
completion after 5 years of data acquisition.
- Usage Fee
- Not applicable.
- Condition
- The telescope is 10 years old and well maintained.
- Communication
- Telephone 505-437-6822, high band-width (T1)
ethernet.
- Access
- By road.
- Unique Environment
- Ideal site for astronomical observation in continental
U.S.
