| Big Bear Solar Observatory | |||||||||
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| Organization | New Jersey Institute of Technology | ||||||||
| Location | North Shore of Big Bear Lake, California, United States | ||||||||
| Altitude | 2,067 m (6,781 ft) | ||||||||
| Website www.bbso.njit.edu |
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The Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO) is an astronomical telescopic observatory with main interests in studying the physics of the Sun. The instruments and telescopes of the observatory are designed and employed specifically for studying the activities and phenomena of our solar system's star. The observatory is also participating in an experiment in helioseismology with the use of a GONG telescope from the Global Oscillation Network Group. The BBSO has been operated by the New Jersey Institute of Technology since 1997.
The BBSO is located on the north shore of Big Bear Lake in the San Bernardino Mountains, San Bernardino County, California. A causeway has been built to put the observatory building into the open waters of the lake.
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The observatory was built by the California Institute of Technology in 1969 under the direction of professor Harold Zirin. The location of Big Bear was optimal for its clarity of sky. The lake surface is about 6,750 feet above sea level. Its position out on the peninsula provides a cooling effect on the atmosphere surrounding the building and eliminates ground heat radiation waves that normally would cause heat wave aberrations. Management of the observatory was transferred to the New Jersey Institute of Technology in 1997. Funding comes from NASA, the National Science Foundation, the US Air Force and other agencies.
The observatory has been operating with a 65 cm vacuum reflector telescope, a 25 cm vacuum refractor, and a 20 cm full disc telescope. The 65 and 25 cm telescopes study sunspots while the 20 cm full disc telescope tracks the full orbit of the Sun from sunrise to sunset.
By late spring 2007 it was planned that the 65 cm, 25 cm and 20 cm scopes be replaced by a new 1.6 meter, open frame, clear aperture telescope. The 20 cm telescope will be replaced by a similar telescope in an additional small dome. The old dome has been replaced with a larger, more spherical, ventilated dome to contain the new 1.6 meter telescope from DFM Engineering.[1] It was under active construction in 2008, and saw first light of the sun in January 2009.[2]
Since the construction of the New Solar Telescope began, no public tours have been scheduled. For more information contact the observatory at: