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Anderson Mesa Station

Lowell Observatory, Anderson Mesa Station

Named after	Anderson Mesa
Organization	Lowell Observatory, United States Naval Observatory
Observatory code	688
Location	Coconino County, near Flagstaff, Arizona
Coordinates	35°05′49″N 111°32′09″W / 35.09694°N 111.53583°W / 35.09694; -111.53583
Altitude	7,096 feet (2,163 m)
Established	1959 (1959)
Website	Lowell Observatory
Telescopes
Perkins Telescope 1.8 m Cassegrain telescope John S. Hall Telescope 1.1 m Ritchey–Chrétien telescope NURO Telescope 0.8 m reflecting telescope Navy Precision Optical Interferometer Optical Interferometer
Location of Lowell Observatory, Anderson Mesa Station
[edit on Wikidata]

Anderson Mesa Station is an astronomical observatory established in 1959 as a dark-sky observing site for Lowell Observatory. It is located at Anderson MesainCoconino County, Arizona, about 12 miles (19 km) southeast of Lowell's main campus on Mars Hill in Flagstaff, Arizona.

• The 1.83 m (72 in) Perkins Telescope is shared with Boston University (BU) and Georgia State University.^[1] Built in 1931 by Warner & Swasey Company, it was originally located at the Perkins ObservatoryofOhio Wesleyan University (OWU) in Delaware, Ohio.^[2][3] It was moved to Anderson Mesa in 1961, and was purchased by Lowell in 1998. Lowell and BU formed a partnership to operate the telescope that year, and GSU joined later.^[4] The original 69-inch mirror, which was figuredbyJ. W. Fecker, Inc., was the largest single piece of glass ever cast in America when it was poured.^[2] It was replaced in 1965 with the current mirror made of Duran-50 low-expansion glass.^[5][6]
• The 1.07 m (42 in) John Hall Telescope was built by AstroMechanics and installed at Anderson Mesa in 1970.^[7] It was named after former Lowell Observatory director John S. Hall in 1990.^[8] In 2004, the Ritchey-Chrétien telescope was upgraded with a new mirror from Hextek, and with other parts.^[9]
• The 0.79 m (31 in) telescope of the National Undergraduate Research Observatory (NURO) was built by AstroMechanics and installed in 1964 at Anderson Mesa by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) for Project Apollo.^[10] It was purchased by Lowell in 1972, and refurbished in 1990.^[8][11] It is used by the NURO consortium for up to 60% of the time, and by Lowell scientists.
• The Navy Precision Optical Interferometer (NPOI) is collaboration of Lowell Observatory, the U.S. Naval Observatory (USNO) Flagstaff Station (NOFS), and the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL).^[12] Construction on the facility began in 1992, and engineering tests began in 1994. The first images were acquired in 1996.^[13]

• The 0.6 m (24 in) Lowell Observatory Near-Earth-Object Search (LONEOS) Schmidt camera was used to search for asteroids and other near-earth objects. It was built by J. W. Fecker, Inc. in 1939, given to Perkins Observatory in the 1950s, and purchased by Lowell in 1990.^[8] Starting in 1992 it was refurbished, and saw first light in the dome that previously held the Lowell Astrograph in 1997.^[14] Use of the telescope ended along with the LONEOS project in 2008.
• The 0.33 m (13 in) Abbot L. Lowell Astrograph, also known as the Pluto Discovery Telescope and informally as the Pluto Camera, is an astrograph built by Alvan Clark & Sons in 1929. In 1930 it was used by Clyde Tombaugh to discover Pluto.^[15] In 1971, it was moved a new building at Anderson Mesa, and returned to Mars Hill in 1992.^[16][17]

• United States Naval Observatory Flagstaff Station
• List of astronomical observatories

• Lowell Observatory website
• Anderson Mesa Station Clear sky clock Weather forecasts for observing conditions.

35°05′49″N 111°32′09″W / 35.096944°N 111.535833°W / 35.096944; -111.535833

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