Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory

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**Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory**
Telescopes
Organization	Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Location	Mount Hopkins, Arizona
Coordinates	31°40′52″N, 110°52′42″W
Altitude	2,250 meters (7,500 feet)
Webpage	[1]
MMT	6.5 meter reflector
telescope	1.5 meter reflector
telescope	1.2 meter reflector
PAIRITEL	1.3 meter reflector
Whipple	10 meter optical Gamma-ray reflector
IOTA telescopes	optical and infrared interferometry
HAT telescope	optical refractor

The Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and is their largest field installation outside of their main site in Cambridge, MA. It is located near Amado, Arizona on the slopes of Mount Hopkins.

[edit] History

Founded in October 1968.

[edit] Equipment

The observatory contains the smaller observatory MMT which is jointly run by the University of Arizona and houses a 6.5 meter telescope. The observatory also has 1.5, 1.2 meter reflectors and another 1.3 meter reflector named PAIRITEL (Peters Automated IR Imaging Telescope, ex-2MASS ). Also on site are the IOTA (Infrared optical telescope array) which is used by many institutions and the HAT (Hungarian Automated Telescope).

The observatory is famous for its pioneering work in gamma ray astronomy, having developed the first Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescope (IACT), of which construction commenced in 1984. Together with many other observatories and universities, the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory is participating in the construction of an array of four 12-m optical telescopes based on the same design principles, to be based at KPNO, called VERITAS.