Astronomy
The Mt. Graham International Observatory and Discovery Park are both located in Graham County. Amateur astronomers will appreciate the Dark Sky environment of Graham County where the stars all shine a little brighter than urban America.
Mt. Graham International Observatory
The Observatory Base Camp is located six miles south of Safford, Arizona on State Route 366, also known as Swift Trail; on the east side of...
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The Observatory Base Camp is located six miles south of Safford, Arizona on State Route 366, also known as Swift Trail; on the east side of Mt. Graham at the base of the mountain. The Observatory is located immediately north of the Federal Correctional Institute. Please check in with the office staff to insure your permits are in order and to "log in" your presence at the observatory. The Base Camp office opens at 7:30 a.m. and closes at 4:00 p.m. Mountain Standard Time, Monday through Friday except for holidays.
Mount Graham International Observatory was conceived in the early 1980s. Two telescopes, the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope and the Heinrich Hertz Submillimeter Telescope, were dedicated in 1993. The Large Binocular Telescope was dedicated in 2004.
Steward Observatory, the research arm for the Department of Astronomy at the University of Arizona, was founded in 1917. The Observatory operates research facilities at Kitt Peak, Mt. Lemmon, Mt. Hopkins and Mt. Graham, Arizona. The Mt. Graham International Observatory is a component of Stewart Observatory and is the umbrella organization for the research organizations located at the Mt. Graham research site.
The Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope, a joint project of the Vatican Observatory, Vatican City, and Steward Observatory, began scientific observation in September, 1994. The Submillimeter Telescope, a partnership between Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy, located in Bonn, Germany, and Steward Observatory, commenced scientific observations in early 1995.
Mt. Graham Observatory is also home to the largest telescope in the world. Large Binocular Telesope (LBT), will provide new and more powerful views of deep space, including potentially answering fundamental questions about the origins of the universe and mysterious worlds in other planetary systems.
Mt. Graham Observatory conducts weekend tours for interested people. With Weather permitting, the tours begin in mid-May and go through mid-November. Because permits are required to enter the endangered red squirrel refugium, advance reservations are required.
The tour features a trip up scenic Mount Graham, focusing on the mountain's rich geology, history, and diversity of life; a lunch near the summit of the mountain; and a guided tour of the observatory facility. And, yes, Billy the Kid also walked the mountain paths back in the 1870s... Back at Gov Aker Observatory, the 20" Tinsley Cassegrain reflector is open to the public for viewing the heavens after sunset
Contact Information:
1480 W. Swift Trail
Safford, AZ, 85546
928.428.2739
fax:928.428.2854
email: mgiomail@as.arizona.edu
Discovery Park
The idea for a visitor's center for the Mt. Graham International Observatory (MGIO) in Safford began in the mid-1980s.
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The idea for a visitor’s center for the Mt. Graham International Observatory (MGIO) in Safford began in the mid-1980s. Plans for the center quickly expanded and eventually became known as Discovery Park, an education and entertainment retreat, emphasizing the science and culture of the Gila Valley, from mining and agriculture to space exploration.
The University of Arizona donated a research-grade 20” Cassegrain reflector telescope and dome for the Gov Aker Observatory. The Vatican Observatory donated a radio telescope and loans several exhibits to the park, including an astrolabe made in 1608 and the Mertz Telescope, constructed in 1870 in Morocco. A full-motion simulator takes guests on a ride past Mt. Graham to tour the solar system. As the park grew, Nature’s Hideaway was added as a riparian habitat just east of the Gov Aker Observatory. And a replica of an 1860s steam locomotive delivered guests to the Circle D ranch past the wildlife habitat.
In the summer of 2006, the park came under the control of Eastern Arizona College’s Governing Board. The park now has a much better foundation upon which it can thrive as an educational campus, emphasizing science and technology for the leaders of tomorrow.” The park, which is now known as Eastern Arizona College’s Discovery Park Campus, will continue as a multi-purpose educational facility. The MGIO Tours will continue and the facility will still be available for group rentals. EAC classes such as Rocketry and Environmental Biology will continue, and the College will be planning additional course offerings and events which will allow students and the community to take advantage of the unique environmental, technological, and educational features of the park.
Open to the public Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and Saturday, 4:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Contact Information:
Eastern Arizona College's
Discovery Park Campus
1651 W. Discovery Park Blvd.
Safford, AZ 85546
Phone: (928) 428-6260
e-mail: discoverypark@eac.edu