| Organization | Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory |
|---|---|
| Location | Mount Hopkins, Arizona |
| Coordinates | |
| Altitude | 2,250 meters (7,500 feet) |
| Webpage | [1] |
| Telescopes | |
| MMT | 6.5 meter reflector |
| telescope | 1.5 meter reflector |
| telescope | 1.2 meter reflector |
| PAIRITEL | 1.3 meter reflector |
| Whipple 10 m | 10 meter IACT |
| VERITAS | Array of 12 meter IACTs |
| IOTA telescopes | optical and infrared interferometry |
| HAT telescope | optical refractor |
The Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and is their largest field installation outside of their main site in Cambridge, MA. It is located near Amado, Arizona on the slopes of Mount Hopkins.
History
In 1966, roadwork began on the current site with funding granted for the Smithsonian Mt. Hopkins Observatory. The Whipple 10 m gamma-ray telescope was constructed in 1968.
Equipment
The observatory contains the smaller MMT Observatory which is jointly run by the University of Arizona and houses a 6.5 meter telescope. The observatory also has 1.5, 1.2 meter reflectors and another 1.3 meter reflector named PAIRITEL (Peters Automated IR Imaging Telescope, ex-2MASS ). Also on site are the IOTA (Infrared optical telescope array) which is used by many institutions and the HAT (Hungarian Automated Telescope). The observatory is known for its pioneering work in ground based gamma-ray astronomy through the development of the Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Technique (IACT) with the Whipple 10 m Telescope during the early 1980s. The Whipple 10 m is still fully operational. In April 2007, VERITAS (a system of 4 IACT telescopes with 12 m reflectors) started full operations at the FLWO basecamp.
External links
- Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory
- Whipple 10m optical telescope for detecting high energy gamma rays via Cherenkov radiation
