Arizona Observatories
California Observatories
Colorado Observatories
Hawaii
Mauna Kea Observatory (UH 2.2-meter)
The University of Hawaii's 2.2-meter telescope was installed atop Maunakea in 1970, dwarfing the 24-inch telescopes in single-story domes that pre-dated it. Known originally as the "Mauna Kea Observatory," it was later just referred to as "UH88" for its diameter in inches.
Along with being the first large telescope on Maunakea, it was the first 2-meter-class telescope to be controlled by a computer... and the second 2-meter-class telescope to be _successfully_ controlled by a computer.
Due to the extreme altitude (almost 13,800 feet), the original observatory design called for the control room to be oxygenated, and there are still oxygen flow meters on the wall at one end of the room. This feature was dropped during construction, after the Apollo launchpad fire in 1967.
This observatory was used by David Jewitt and Jane Luu to discover 1992 QB1, the first "Kuiper Belt Object," and later by Scott S. Sheppard (with Jewitt as his PhD advisor) to discover many moons of Jupiter and Saturn.
(I was an operator at this observatory from 2004-2009, and an observer from 2007-2016.) Photos submitted by Dan Birchall.
Along with being the first large telescope on Maunakea, it was the first 2-meter-class telescope to be controlled by a computer... and the second 2-meter-class telescope to be _successfully_ controlled by a computer.
Due to the extreme altitude (almost 13,800 feet), the original observatory design called for the control room to be oxygenated, and there are still oxygen flow meters on the wall at one end of the room. This feature was dropped during construction, after the Apollo launchpad fire in 1967.
This observatory was used by David Jewitt and Jane Luu to discover 1992 QB1, the first "Kuiper Belt Object," and later by Scott S. Sheppard (with Jewitt as his PhD advisor) to discover many moons of Jupiter and Saturn.
(I was an operator at this observatory from 2004-2009, and an observer from 2007-2016.) Photos submitted by Dan Birchall.
Illinois Observatories
Indiana Observatories
Iowa Observatories
Massachusetts Observatories
Michigan Observatories
Minnesota Observatories
Nebraska Observatories
New York Observatories
Ohio Observatories
Pennsylvania Observatories
Rhode Island Observatories
South Carolina Observatories
Tennessee
Vermont Observatories
Virginia Observatories
Washington DC Observatories
Wisconsin Observatories
Yerkes Observatory
