Apache Point Observatory


Apache Point Observatory

An observatory near Sunspot, New Mexico, that opened in 1990 and is owned and operated by the Astrophysical Research Consortium (ARC), a consortium of US universities. The observatory is sited at an altitude of 2787.9 meters. The main instrument is a 3.5-meter telescope with a lightweight honeycomb primary mirror, for optical and infrared observations. The Sloan Digital Sky Survey's 2.5-meter telescope was commissioned there in 1997. There is also a 1-meter telescope operated by New Mexico State University.