We spent our Labor Day at The Kitt Peak National Observatory. I don't know if you know this, but Astronomy is kind of a big deal down here. Tucson has city ordinances to limit light pollution, there aren't really street lights...yeah. Kitt Peak is a bit of a drive west of Tucson, but it was worth it to be at a high enough elevation to be out of the heat. Only 70 degrees! The National Observatory is a couple dozen large telescopes on a mountain top on a reservation. Apparently the local tribe was persuaded that the best way to honor the heavens was to built an observatory on their sacred tribal land. We got a guided tour of the solar telescope, and we walked ourselves around the 4 meter telescope, the largest on on the mountain. We enjoyed the scenery and the visitors center. Sadly, it was cloudy so none of the telescopes were being used. It would have been fun to see astronomers in their natural habitat! We took a few snapshots, ate all the snacks out of our cooler bag, and headed home. Nice way to spend a morning/afternoon.
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| You can see several domes in the distance, each one an enormous telescope. |
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| Lee and the largest telescope. The 4 meter measurement refers to the size of the lens in the dome. |
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| An awesome view of the "Belly Button of the World." |
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| The solar telescope. That angled ramp is only the top half of the shaft, it's mostly underground. It has a big track in it so the lens can be adjusted. It looks like the beginning of the worlds largest, scariest roller coaster. For giants. |
Sorry, no profile shots. I'll let you guess how grossly huge this growth on my abdomen has become. Suffice it to say, bending over is the worst and I'm really starting to waddle now.
The sun telescope is the largest in the world, but in 2018 Hawaii will have a better one. Also the giant mirror that sets on the sloped railway (32 degree pitch) is what is adjusted to shine a picture of the sun three feet in diameter on a piece of butcher paper so someone with sunglasses can look at it in enough detail to see all the sunspots. Another part of the telescope has a spectrometer that helps us know about our Sun's composition. Allen (A genius and wealthy docent) had all the facts memorized and was happy to share them with us.
ReplyDeleteWithout a side view, you don't look all that big. It seems like you could still bend over.
ReplyDeleteon on on on on on on on on on on on. Read through your blogpost to discover why this is funny. Looks like a totally awesome day trip. I hereby challenge you to a game of head shoulders knees and toes. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
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