Nicholas U. Mayall Telescope

Nicholas U. Mayall Telescope
Alternative namesMayall 4-meter Telescope Edit this at Wikidata
Part ofKitt Peak National Observatory Edit this on Wikidata
Location(s)Arizona
Coordinates31°57′48″N 111°36′00″W / 31.9634°N 111.6°W / 31.9634; -111.6 Edit this at Wikidata
OrganizationNOIRLab Edit this on Wikidata
Altitude2,120 m (6,960 ft) Edit this at Wikidata
First lightFebruary 27, 1973[1]
DiscoveredMethane ice on Pluto
Telescope styleoptical telescope
Ritchey–Chrétien telescope Edit this on Wikidata
Diameter4 m (13 ft 1 in) Edit this at Wikidata
Collecting area11.4 m2 (123 sq ft) Edit this at Wikidata
Websitenoirlab.edu/public/programs/kitt-peak-national-observatory/nicholas-mayall-4m-telescope/ Edit this at Wikidata
Nicholas U. Mayall Telescope is located in the United States
Nicholas U. Mayall Telescope
Location of Nicholas U. Mayall Telescope
  Related media on Commons
Kitt Peak—Mayall is the tall one
Looking out at Kitt Peak from Mayall

The Nicholas U. Mayall Telescope, also known as the Mayall 4-meter Telescope, is a four-meter (158 inches) reflector telescope located at the Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona and named after Nicholas U. Mayall. It saw first light on February 27, 1973, and was the second-largest telescope in the world at that time.[2] Initial observers included David Crawford, Nicholas Mayall, and Arthur Hoag.[2] It was dedicated on June 20, 1973 after Mayall's retirement as director.[2] The mirror has an f/2.7 hyperboloidal shape. It is made from a two-foot (61 cm (24 in)) thick fused quartz disk that is supported in an advanced-design mirror cell. The prime focus has a field of view six times larger than that of the Hale reflector. It is host to the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument. The identical Víctor M. Blanco Telescope was later built at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, in Chile.[3]

  1. ^ "The Mayall 4-Meter Telescope". Archived from the original on 2020-01-07. Retrieved 2019-11-10.
  2. ^ a b c Lindsley, Dave; Edmondson, Frank; Kiani, Shiva (2008), Celebrating 50 years; Kitt Peak National Observatory; Milestones at Kitt Peak (PDF), archived (PDF) from the original on 2009-08-16, retrieved 2009-10-24
  3. ^ Robert D. Chapman; William M. Sinton. "Telescope". AccessScience@McGraw-Hill. doi:10.1036/1097-8542.681600. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)