In 2008 the University of Arizona College of Science launched the Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter
at Steward Observatory’s Field Station. The Steward Observatory Field Station operates in the Coronado National Forest under
a permit from the US Forest Service (USFS).
Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter is an exceptional science learning facility located at Steward Observatory's "sky island" observing site
just north of Tucson, Arizona. The Sky Center builds upon the uniqueness of the 9157 feet summit of Mt. Lemmon and on the
extensive knowledge base at the University of Arizona to deliver educational adventures including night-time observing programs,
education and outreach programs, and imaging workshops.
In 2010 the 32-inch (0.81-meter) Schulman telescope replaced the existing 24-inch RCOS telescope as the premier telescope
in use by the Mt. Lemmon Sky Center. In January 2011 the University of Arizona announced its partnership with SSON making it available
to our users.
Latitude: 32° 26' 32" North
North Longitude: 110° 47' 22" West
Altitude: 2,791 meters (9,157 feet)
MPC Observatory Code: G84
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The observatory's core instrument is the Schulman 0.81-meter
(32-inch) F/7 RC Optical telescope. |
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The primary imaging instrument is a SBIG STX KAF-16803 camera. This is a state of the art research-grade
CCD camera capable of maintaining stable temperatures to -50C below the ambient temperature.
The camera contains a Kodak KAF-16803 4096 x 4096 pixel CCD chip with 9-micron pixels giving an
image scale of 0.33 arc seconds/pixel un-binned and 0.66 arc seconds/pixel binned 2 x 2.
The area of the chip is greater than a 35mm format camera providing a field of view of
22.5 x 22.5 arc minutes. The CCD chip has a high quantum efficiency (59% peak).
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Attached to the camera is a 6-position filter wheel that holds Astrodon Gen 2 Red, Green. Blue, Luminance, and 4.5nm H-Alpha
65mm filters. |
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The Schulman 32-inch telescope is housed in a 30-foot Ash Dome
at the summint of Mt. Lemmon. |