Mayall 4-Meter Telescope Photo Gallery
©2011 by Fred Espenak. All rights reserved.
The 4-meter (158-inch) Mayall Telescope is one of the largest optical telescopes in the world. Located near the 6875-foot summit of Kitt Peak, the 18-story observatory building can be seen from over 50 miles away. The telescope's 15 ton primary mirror is polished to one millionth of an inch and has a reflective aluminum coating one thousandth the thickness of a human hair.
The Mayall Telescope is used primarily for visible and infrared light observations and has played an important role in many fields of research. For example, the rotation curves of distant galaxies have been observed in order to determine the role of dark matter in the universe.
(Adapted from Kitt Peak Virtual Tour )
Steward Observatory's 2.3-meter Bok Telescope (also known as the 90-inch) is one of the largest telescopes on Kitt Peak. Built in 1969, the telescope is used for both imaging and spectroscopy by astronomers from University of Arizona, Arizona State University, and Northern Arizona University. The telescope is named in honor of Bart Bok, the prolific astronomer and director of Steward Observatory from 1966–1969.
(Adapted from Bok Telescope Home Page )
The following photo gallery presents a collection of images of Mayall and Steward Observatories.
Click on each thumbnail to see a larger image.
