Mount Graham International Observatory (MGIO) is a division of

Steward Observatory Steward Observatory is the research arm of the Department of Astronomy at the University of Arizona (UArizona). Its offices are located on the UArizona campus in Tucson, Arizona (US). Established in 1916, the first telescope and building were ...

, the research arm for the Department of Astronomy at the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it ...

, in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. It is located in southeastern

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

's Pinaleño Mountains near Mount Graham. During development, it was first called the Columbus Project. Construction of MGIO began in 1989. MGIO operates and maintains facilities for three scientific organizations. The first two telescopes, the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope and the Heinrich Hertz Submillimeter Telescope began operation in 1993. The

Large Binocular Telescope The Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) is an optical telescope for astronomy located on Mount Graham, in the Pinaleno Mountains of southeastern Arizona, United States. It is a part of the Mount Graham International Observatory. When using both ...

, one of the world's largest and most powerful optical telescopes, began operations using its mirrors independently in 2004, with joint operations between the two mirrors beginning in 2008. Public tours of the MGIO are conducted by the

Eastern Arizona College Eastern Arizona College (EAC), is a community college in Graham County, Arizona, United States. The main campus is in Thatcher, with satellite locations in Gila County and Greenlee County. It is the oldest community college in Arizona and the ...

's (EAC) Discovery Park Campus between mid-April and mid-October (weather permitting and subject to reservations). The construction and presence of the structures continues to be controversial for environmentalists, University of Arizona students, and Indigenous tribes, as the Observatory is built on grounds sacred to, and ancestrally used by Western Apache peoples. To environmentalists, the concern was primarily the endemic Mount Graham red squirrel. Several news articles reported that the San Carlos Apache Tribal Council approved formal opposition to building the telescopes and
2021 article
detailed a brief history of the mountain leading up to its acquisition as an astronomical research facility. The long and bitter reputation of the observatory has left a mark, taking place alongside other projects that have presented similar struggles between indigenous peoples and scientists such as the

Mauna Kea Observatories The Mauna Kea Observatories (MKO) are a group of independent astronomical research facilities and large telescope observatories that are located at the summit of Mauna Kea on Hawaii (island), Hawaiʻi, United States. The facilities are located i ...

List of facilities

operated by the Large Binocular Telescope Corporation. * Heinrich Hertz Submillimeter Telescope, operated by

Arizona Radio Observatory Steward Observatory is the research arm of the Department of Astronomy at the University of Arizona (UArizona). Its offices are located on the UArizona campus in Tucson, Arizona (US). Established in 1916, the first telescope and building were ...

. * Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope, operated by the

Vatican Observatory The Vatican Observatory () is an astronomical research and educational institution supported by the Holy See. Originally based in the Roman College of Rome, the Observatory is now headquartered in Castel Gandolfo, Italy and operates a telescope a ...

References

External links

*
Official website

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Mount Graham Coalition

'Mount Graham: Apaches say a sacred place was first stolen, then defiled'
{{Authority control Astronomical observatories in Arizona Buildings and structures in Graham County, Arizona Pinaleño Mountains Tourist attractions in Graham County, Arizona 1989 establishments in Arizona

List of facilities

See also

References

External links