Telescope Observations

We use many different telescopes to carry out our research. Locally, we use the telescopes at Wallace Astrophyscial Observatory. MIT also has a 10% share in the two 6.5-m Magellan Telescopes at Las Campanas Observatory in Chile. The PAL typically receives a few nights each semester on these telescopes. Kuiper belt object (KBO) discovery observations, as part of our collaboration with the Deep Ecliptic Survey, are done using the 4-m Blanco telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory and the 4-m Mayall telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. KBO recovery observations are carried out at these telescopes as well as a varity of others (including the University of Hawaii 2.2-m, the Shane 3-m at Lick Observatory, and the Perkins 1.8-m at Lowell Observatory). We have also carried out research using other telescopes, such as the IRTF and the HST.

In addition to using ground-based telescopes, we are collaborators on an instrument for SOFIA, the next-generation airborne observatory (a Boeing 747 with a 2.5-m telescope). The mobility of this facility is extremely valuable for obeserving stellar occultations. For similar purposes, we support a system of portable CCDs, which can be attached to telescopes all over the world.