Latest News
Dr. Roger Angel – Innovator
Aug 24, 2012
Dr. Roger Angel, astronomer and pioneer in telescope technology is looking to use new low cost mirrors to collect solar energy in an effort to mitigate global warming issues. As Director of the Steward Observatory Mirror Lab, Dr. Angel …
Work on Mt. Hopkins Road Between Summit and Ridge Area
Aug 01, 2012
Starting on Monday, Oct. 22, 2012, road paving maintenance will begin on Mt. Hopkins Rd. between the Summit and the Ridge (around km 17) and will be completed by approximately Nov. 9. The road in this area will be …
Tucson and Urban Stargazers
Jul 23, 2012
For a fun report on some local professional and amateur astronomers, read this NPR report.
MMTO in the News
Jul 23, 2012
A recent article in the LA Times discusses the potential impact of mining upon nearby observatories. You can read the article here.
Dark Skies Waning
Jul 06, 2012
A documentary entitled “The City Dark” is currently being shown on PBS channels. For local comments, Arizona Public Media interviewed Grant Williams, MMTO Director, and Scott Kardel of the International Dark-Sky Association. To hear their comments and to learn more …
Summer Conferences
Jun 14, 2012
MMTO personnel are participating in the American Astronomical Society (AAS) and the Society of Photo-0ptical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE) conferences this summer. One staff member attended and presented a poster at the June AAS meeting in Anchorage, Alaska. Four staff …
Collecting Light: An Exploration of Arizona Astronomy
May 25, 2012
A series of special reports on astronomy in Arizona called “Collecting Light” was recently aired by Arizona Public Media. Click here to see the list of topics. The MMT Observatory is featured in Part 3: The Age of the Giant Telescope.
Annular Eclipse
May 25, 2012
Photos taken from the MMT Observatory of the May 20th annular eclipse, looking toward Kitt Peak National Observatory. Click on the image to view in a larger format.
Network Upgrades at the MMTO
May 10, 2012
Over the past year, the MMTO mountain facilities and campus offices have undergone network upgrades. Completed upgrades include: CAT 6 cabling; installation of CISCO gigabit network switches and CISCO wireless routers for mountain operations; upgrade of microwave link between the …
New Bridge Crane Installed
May 02, 2012
A new 3-ton bridge crane with wireless controls was installed in the telescope chamber at the MMTO in April. The previous bridge crane, also 3-tons, had been at the MMTO since 1978. Installation of the new crane was a tedious …