The Discovery Channel Telescope
is an observatory with a 14-foot (4.3-meter) mirror built near Happy
Jack, Ariz., by the Lowell Observatory and Discovery Communications, the
parent company of television's Discovery Channel. The telescope's
opening was marked with a gala on Saturday (July 21) at Lowell
Observatory in Flagstaff and featured a keynote speech from Neil
Armstrong, the first person ever on the moon.
"The First Light Gala is a historic event in the annals of Lowell
Observatory," Jeffrey Hall, director of Lowell Observatory, said in a
statement. "It marks completion of our spectacular new research
facility, initiation of superb projects that will bring our research to
millions through our partnership with Discovery Communications. We are
honored to be part of it and grateful to all who have helped make it a
reality."
The $53 million Discovery Channel Telescope is the fifth largest telescope
in the continental United States, and was paid for without any federal
or state funding. The observatory snapped its inaugural pictures —
including views of the famous Whirlpool and Sombrero galaxies, as well
as the M109 barred spiral galaxy — in May using its 16-million-pixel
camera.
"The Discovery Channel Telescope is emblematic of our mission to ignite
curiosity and stir the imagination of audiences here and around the
globe," said John Hendricks, founder and chairman of Discovery
Communications, who, with his wife Maureen, was a major donor to the
project. "The telescope represents 'discovery' in both word and deed and
we are thrilled to see the amazing places it will take us with
breathtaking images and vital new research."
Though the telescope's eyes are now open to the universe, it will
undergo a testing phase for about 18 months, with its first scientific
data gathering expected to begin in 2013 or 2014. Its location, in the
Coconino National Forest about 45 miles (72 kilometers) south-southeast
of Flagstaff, is in a dark-sky site, one of the darkest, best places from which to view the night sky in the United States.
The process of planning and building the telescope is due to be
featured in a one-hour Discovery Channel documentary set to air in
September 2012. ( space.com )
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