Latest News

Final Lecture in Smithsonian Series on Astronomy – Wed., March 25

Mar 17, 2015

The final lecture in this series will be held Wed., March 25. Dr. Emilio Falco of the F.L. Whipple Observatory will give a talk entitled “Galaxies Almost Everywhere.” Please join us at the Green Valley Recreation Center at 9:00am-10:30am. …

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MMT Data used in Discovery of Unprecedented Supermassive Black Hole

Feb 25, 2015

Astronomers from Peking University in China and the University of Arizona have discovered the most luminous quasar known at a redshift of greater than 6. The ultra-luminous quasar has a black hole that clocks in with a mass of …

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Coldest Variable Brown Dwarf Discovered

Feb 11, 2015

A recent paper by reserachers at Arizona State University shows the discovery of the coldest variable brown dwarf published to-date. The astronomers used the SWIRC instrument to monitor four brown dwarfs over multiple epochs. One of those showed significant …

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Astronomy collaborations with Mexico

Feb 02, 2015

The MMTO is part of a developing collaboration between the University of Arizona and Mexico regarding astronomy, along with other science-related interests. To read more, click here.

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Week of Dec. 8 – Work on Mt. Hopkins Rd. – Revised

Dec 05, 2014

Due to continued roadwork, restrictions will be in place on Dec. 8-9 with road openings at 8:00-8:30am, noon-12:30, and after 4:00pm. On Dec. 10 & 11, the road will close at 8:30am and reopen at 4:00pm each day while …

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Dec. 3-4: Roadwork on Mt. Hopkins

Nov 21, 2014

Culvert replacement will be conducted around km 7 on December 3 & 4, resulting in an overnight closure of the road at that area. The road will close at 8:30am on Dec. 3 and reopen after 4:00pm on Dec. …

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Local County is Proactive about Lighting

Oct 31, 2014

Cochise County, Arizona, has recently updated its lighting codes with the latest lighting technology in mind. The result is more protection for observatories and astronomy, while allowing enough light for the needs of businesses. Read about the county leading the way …

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New Discovery

Oct 10, 2014

Researchers at ASU recently announced the discovery of a wide brown dwarf companion to the nearby star zeta Delphini using data taken at the MMT with the ARIES instrument. The star and its brown dwarf, which are about 67 parsecs …

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Light Pollution: A Continuing Problem

Oct 06, 2014

Implementation of well-planned lighting codes can help Arizona’s astronomy industry, as well as keep residents safe. Read more about the effects of light pollution.

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Historical Photo of the MMTO

Sep 29, 2014

In 1981, a photograph was taken of the sun rising behind the original MMTO from a small telescope located on Kitt Peak, nearly 47 miles away – click here to view the Photo, which now hangs in the newly furnished and …

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