Three Sites Selected as Candidates for World's Largest Solar Telescope

http://www.nso.edu/press/ATST_CandidateSites.html

Three sites selected as candidates for world's largest solar telescope
National Solar Observatory
December 8, 2003

Sunspot, NM -- The National Solar Observatory and its partners have chosen
three candidate sites for a year of detailed evaluation leading to selection of one site for
the 4-meter, ground-based Advanced Technology Solar Telescope (ATST).

The selected sites are Haleakala, Hawaii; Big Bear Lake, California; and La Palma, Canary
Islands, Spain.

"The ATST Science Working Group recommended these three based on survey data at each of six
sites that we studied for more than a year," said Dr. Stephen Keil, director of the National
Solar Observatory. "Each has a unique combination of atmospheric conditions and other factors
that make it an outstanding location for the ATST. The continued survey will let us determine
which one has the best observing conditions."

The recommendation was accepted by Keil and the four co-principal investigators from the
principal ATST partners: Robert Rosner, University of Chicago; Jeffrey Kuhn, University of
Hawaii; Michael Knoelker, High Altitude Observatory, Boulder, CO; and Philip Goode, New
Jersey Institute of Technology. Final selection is anticipated in late 2004.

The data were collected by the ATST Site Survey Working Group: Frank Hill (NSO, chair), Rich
Radick (U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory), Steve Hegwer (NSO), John Briggs (University of
Chicago), and Steve Fletcher (NSO).

ATST will be the world's largest ground-based solar optical observatory. It will have a
4-meter, open-aperture telescope employing recent advances in adaptive optics and other
technologies to study the fine structure of details of solar activity including sunspots,
flares, and a range of phenomena too small to be resolved by current telescopes. Adaptive
optics will let it routinely achieve spatial resolutions as fine as 0.03 arc-second (~20 km)
as compared to the present limit of 0.5 to 0.1 arc-second (~360 to 70 km), depending on
seeing.

The continued ATST site survey will determine which site will maximize the scientific
productivity of the telescope. The desired daytime atmospheric characteristics of such a site
are frequently clear skies, excellent seeing, low humidity, few aircraft contrails, and low
dust levels.

The initial survey chose six sites as the best of an initial list of 72 potential sites. The
three not selected for further study are Sunspot, NM; Panguitch Lake, UT; and San Pedro
Martir, Baja, Mexico. Except for Panguitch Lake, each of the six sites has solar or
astronomical observatories or both.

The site survey data were released on Nov. 11, 2003, without rankings. Keil noted, "It was
the first time that several sites were simultaneously evaluated with identical
instrumentation." The data are aimed at optimizing the new, demanding performance criteria
for the ATST and have no bearing on suitability of those sites and their current telescopes.

"Five of the sites were selected because they already conduct front-line solar physics or
astrophysics with telescopes that have been operating for several years," Keil continued.
"Those telescopes will continue to serve the science community for many years to come."

ATST is a project of the NSO, the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy
(NSO's parent organization), and the National Science Foundation. It has been highly ranked
by the latest Decadal Survey of Astronomy and Astrophysics (2000) and a National Academy of
Sciences study of ground-based solar astronomy.

For further information, contact:

Dave Dooling
Outreach and Education Officer,
National Solar Observatory
Sunspot, NM 88349
505-434-7015,

or Jackie Diehl
505-434-7003,

I'll volunteer my backyard.

Clear Skies

Chuck Taylor
Do you observe the moon?
Try the Lunar Observing Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lunar-observing/

"Ron Baalke" wrote in message
...
http://www.nso.edu/press/ATST_CandidateSites.html

Three sites selected as candidates for world's largest solar telescope
National Solar Observatory
December 8, 2003

Sunspot, NM -- The National Solar Observatory and its partners have
chosen
three candidate sites for a year of detailed evaluation leading to
selection of one site for
the 4-meter, ground-based Advanced Technology Solar Telescope (ATST).

The selected sites are Haleakala, Hawaii; Big Bear Lake, California; and
La Palma, Canary
Islands, Spain.

"The ATST Science Working Group recommended these three based on survey
data at each of six
sites that we studied for more than a year," said Dr. Stephen Keil,
director of the National
Solar Observatory. "Each has a unique combination of atmospheric
conditions and other factors
that make it an outstanding location for the ATST. The continued survey
will let us determine
which one has the best observing conditions."

The recommendation was accepted by Keil and the four co-principal
investigators from the
principal ATST partners: Robert Rosner, University of Chicago; Jeffrey
Kuhn, University of
Hawaii; Michael Knoelker, High Altitude Observatory, Boulder, CO; and
Philip Goode, New
Jersey Institute of Technology. Final selection is anticipated in late
2004.

The data were collected by the ATST Site Survey Working Group: Frank Hill
(NSO, chair), Rich
Radick (U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory), Steve Hegwer (NSO), John
Briggs (University of
Chicago), and Steve Fletcher (NSO).

ATST will be the world's largest ground-based solar optical observatory.
It will have a
4-meter, open-aperture telescope employing recent advances in adaptive
optics and other
technologies to study the fine structure of details of solar activity
including sunspots,
flares, and a range of phenomena too small to be resolved by current
telescopes. Adaptive
optics will let it routinely achieve spatial resolutions as fine as 0.03
arc-second (~20 km)
as compared to the present limit of 0.5 to 0.1 arc-second (~360 to 70 km),
depending on
seeing.

The continued ATST site survey will determine which site will maximize the
scientific
productivity of the telescope. The desired daytime atmospheric
characteristics of such a site
are frequently clear skies, excellent seeing, low humidity, few aircraft
contrails, and low
dust levels.

The initial survey chose six sites as the best of an initial list of 72
potential sites. The
three not selected for further study are Sunspot, NM; Panguitch Lake, UT;
and San Pedro
Martir, Baja, Mexico. Except for Panguitch Lake, each of the six sites has
solar or
astronomical observatories or both.

The site survey data were released on Nov. 11, 2003, without rankings.
Keil noted, "It was
the first time that several sites were simultaneously evaluated with
identical
instrumentation." The data are aimed at optimizing the new, demanding
performance criteria
for the ATST and have no bearing on suitability of those sites and their
current telescopes.

"Five of the sites were selected because they already conduct front-line
solar physics or
astrophysics with telescopes that have been operating for several years,"
Keil continued.
"Those telescopes will continue to serve the science community for many
years to come."

ATST is a project of the NSO, the Association of Universities for Research
in Astronomy
(NSO's parent organization), and the National Science Foundation. It has
been highly ranked
by the latest Decadal Survey of Astronomy and Astrophysics (2000) and a
National Academy of
Sciences study of ground-based solar astronomy.

For further information, contact:

Dave Dooling
Outreach and Education Officer,
National Solar Observatory
Sunspot, NM 88349
505-434-7015,

or Jackie Diehl
505-434-7003,