Latest News
Revised – MMTO Observing Schedule
Oct 09, 2017
The revised observing schedule for October can be found here.
Mt. Hopkins Road Work
Oct 05, 2017
Grading of the road will continue on October 10, 11, and 12 between 9:00am and 3:00pm each day. Please coordinate via radios when driving on the road those days.
Summer Tour Update
Jun 13, 2017
Summer tours are currently on hold due to road work scheduled for the Mt. Hopkins Road. We appreciate your patience while the needed maintenance is taking place. Current plans are to resume the tours in September. Updates will be …
Summer Shutdown Schedule
May 22, 2017
Summer shutdown began on Tuesday, July 25. The observatory will reopen on Tuesday, August 22.
Small Fire on Mt. Wrightson – Officially Out
May 21, 2017
The Forest Service declared the small lightning-caused fire on Mt. Wrightson officially over as of 11:00pm on July 4. It began in the afternoon on July 2 on the west side of Mt. Wrightson. On July 3, the Forest …
Binospec Instrument
May 19, 2017
MMTO staff have been preparing for the arrival this fall of the Binospec instrument, a wide-field multi-object optical imaging-spectrograph. A place in the common building basement is also being prepared for the slit mask cutter. More information on the instrument …
Parking Lot Work at the MMT
May 19, 2017
Improvements to the summit parking lot began mid-March to create a pathway allowing easier movement of instruments between the Instrument Repair Facility (IRF) and main MMT building. The pathway is completed, but remains covered to ensure best results for the …
May 19 – A Night Under the Stars
May 11, 2017
Join ShiAnne Kattner, MMTO queue observer, on Friday, May 19 at the historic Hacienda de la Canoa for her presentation on the total solar eclipse that will occur on August 21. Her presentation is at 6:30pm with stargazing following at …
Smithsonian Lecture Series on Astronomy – 2017
Nov 21, 2016
The 47th year of this series will begin on January 11 with the first of five lectures. This series is held on Wednesdays at the Green Valley Recreation Center at 9:00am. Each lecture is 45 minutes, followed by a question-and-answer …
Roadwork December 12-16
Nov 07, 2016
There will be equipment operating on Mt Hopkins Rd at km 12.6, just below the gate, starting on Monday, December 12. Operations will not close the road, but equipment will block the road at times. Please coordinate passage through this …