Manner Telescope at Mt. Lemmon
The University of Arizona's Skycenter hosts telescopes from 20 to 60 inches on the summit of Mt. Lemmon in the Catalina Mountains north of Tucson, Arizona. At 2790 meters (9157 feet), the site is excellent for visible and near-infrared photometry, and often has stable high quality seeing suitable for diffraction-limited lucky imaging. Within a short but vertical drive from nearby Tucson, its accessibility and on-site services allow fully remote and automonous observing. The sky is remarkably dark, even for its proximity to Tucson, because it is above the scattering of light by low level haze and clouds. The high probability of clear sky all night long meets with the needs of time-series photometry provided by our telescope.
Mt. Lemmon observatory is within the Coronado National Forest, 6370 feet above the desert. It experiences winter snow that may limit access, occasional temperatures too low to operate a telescope or its enclosure, and the summer monsoon season from July through August. The optimum operating season is from September through early December, and March through June.