Tortugas Mountain Observatory (TMO) is an astronomical

observatory An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial, marine, or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geophysical, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed. His ...

owned and operated by New Mexico State University (NMSU). It is located on

Tortugas Mountain Tortugas Mountain is a mountain in southern New Mexico, in the village of Tortugas in Doña Ana County, New Mexico. It is also known locally as 'A' Mountain. There is a letter "A" on the mountain. It is the site of the Tortugas Mountain O ...

, also known locally as 'A' Mountain, in southern New Mexico (USA), approximately southeast of Las Cruces and east of the NMSU campus. Founded in 1963 under the supervision of Clyde Tombaugh, the observatory focused on observing the planets. Much of the information captured at TMO is now available through the Planetary Data System's Atmospheres Node, which is managed by NMSU. The two-dome observatory building was completed in 1964, though observing began with one of the telescopes in 1963. A second building, with a larger single dome, was completed at the opposite end of the ridgeline of Tortugas Mountain in 1967. Regular use of TMO ceased in 1999 or 2000, but the observatory equipment was not dismantled. In 2008 it was used for the Lunar CRater Observing and Sensing Satellite project. In 2010, efforts to revive the observatory for use by the

American Association of Variable Star Observers The American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO) is an international nonprofit organization, founded in 1911, focused on coordinating, analyzing, publishing, and archiving variable star observations made largely by amateur astronomers. ...

began. , work on project was reported to be 60-75% done.

Telescopes

* A

Cassegrain reflector The Cassegrain reflector is a combination of a primary concave mirror and a secondary convex mirror, often used in optical telescopes and radio antennas, the main characteristic being that the optical path folds back onto itself, relative to th ...

built by Boller and Chivens was installed in 1967. It remains the largest telescope ever installed at TMO, and the only one reported as operation since 1990. In the 1990s it was used to monitor the Jovian cloud deck and

Saturn Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second-largest in the Solar System, after Jupiter. It is a gas giant with an average radius of about nine and a half times that of Earth. It has only one-eighth the average density of Earth; h ...

. * A

Gregorian telescope The Gregorian telescope is a type of reflecting telescope designed by Scottish mathematician and astronomer James Gregory in the 17th century, and first built in 1673 by Robert Hooke. James Gregory was a contemporary of Isaac Newton. Both often ...

was installed in 1963 and began operating the following year. It was converted to a

in 1974. * A Schmidt camera was completed in 1979. It was tested by Tombaugh in 1980 and 1981, but it was never reported as being operational. * A Newtonian/Cassegrain reflecting telescope built by J.W. Fecker, Inc. was installed in 1963. * A Cassegrain reflector built by

Tinsley Laboratories Tinsley may refer to: People *Tinsley (surname) *Tinsley Mortimer (born 1976), American socialite *Tinsley Ellis (born 1957), American rock and blues musician Places United Kingdom *Tinsley, South Yorkshire, a suburb of Sheffield, England **Tin ...

was installed in 1967.

References

External links

Astronomy Department
at NMSU
NMSU Tortugas Mt Observatory
- gallery of photos taken in 2008 {{Portal bar, Astronomy, Stars, Spaceflight, Outer space, Solar System, Education, Science Astronomical observatories in New Mexico Buildings and structures in Doña Ana County, New Mexico New Mexico State University 1963 establishments in New Mexico

Telescopes

See also

References

External links