MMT Observatory

MMT Observatory
	MMT Observatory
Alternative names	MMTO
Part of	Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory; Steward Observatory
Location(s)	Arizona
Coordinates	31°41′18″N 110°53′06″W / 31.6883°N 110.885°W
Organization	University of Arizona
Altitude	2,616 m (8,583 ft)
Telescope style	optical telescope
Diameter	6.5 m (21 ft 4 in)
Mounting	altazimuth mount
Website	www.mmto.org
	Location of MMT Observatory
	Related media on Commons
	[edit on Wikidata]

The MMT Observatory (MMTO) is an astronomical observatory on the site of Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory (IAU observatory code 696). The Whipple observatory complex is located on Mount Hopkins, Arizona, US (55 km south of Tucson) in the Santa Rita Mountains. The observatory is operated by the University of Arizona and the Smithsonian Institution, and has a visitor center in nearby Amado, Arizona. The MMTO is the home of the MMT (formerly Multiple Mirror Telescope), which has a primary mirror 6.5 m in diameter. The name comes from the six smaller mirrors originally used before the single primary mirror was installed in 1998. The primary mirror has a special lightweight honeycomb design made by the University of Arizona's Steward Observatory Mirror Laboratory. The MMT is housed in a building which allows the walls and roof around the telescope to be completely rolled back, allowing it to cool down very quickly in order to improve observation.