Kitt Peak's new universe

Its eyes on space will still look skyward, but more as auxiliary of newer, bigger telescopes and space-based instruments

By Jim Erickson
ARIZONA DAILY STAR

Kitt Peak National Observatory's main roles in U.S. astronomy should be to support research at giant new telescopes in Hawaii and Chile and to follow up on discoveries made by space-based observatories.

That's the verdict in "Building the Future," the new long-range plan for the Tucson-based National Optical Astronomy Observatory. NOAO oversees national observatories on Kitt Peak and in Chile.

NOAO also represents the U.S. astronomical community in the International Gemini Project, two giant new 8-meter telescopes in Hawaii and Chile.

In the Gemini era, the twin 8-meter telescopes will take center stage, and Kitt Peak will play a supporting role. The largest optical telescopes on Kitt Peak, southwest of Tucson, are the 4-meter Mayall and the 3.5-meter WIYN.

"We look at what we have at NOAO as a system, with Gemini at its apex and the 4-meters and the other telescopes providing the key support," said Steve Strom, head of planning and development for the national observatory.

Kitt Peak National Observatory was founded by a group of U.S. universities in 1957. At the time, a main goal was to provide telescope access to the have-nots, the U.S. astronomers from states without first-rate telescopes and observing sites.

But tight budgets have forced the observatory to make some hard choices, and the small-telescope users are the losers.

Kitt Peak National Observatory once operated eight telescopes and now has five. The national observatory will stop operating two more small telescopes early next year and focus its efforts on improving the performance of the WIYN and the Mayall.

"The telescopes we need to provide access to are the large-aperture telescopes with state-of-the-art instruments," said Richard Green, director of Kitt Peak National Observatory.

The observatory received $4.3 million this year from the National Science Foundation for Kitt Peak maintenance and operations, a
10 percent cut over the previous fiscal year, Green said. "We are definitely moving toward forefront research capabilities and admittedly away from support of small projects for institutions that don't have their own telescopes," he said.

"We have always had those two complementary aspects of our mission, but we're changing the balance."

At the end of January, the observatory will stop operating the 36-inch, or 0.9-Meter, and Coudé Feed telescopes. Both telescopes have been offered to the U.S. astronomical community.

There were no takers for the Coudé Feed, a specialized instrument used for detailed studies of bright stars and interstellar gas. That telescope will close.

Two groups submitted proposals to take over operation of the 36-inch. The future operator of that telescope will be selected by the end of the month, Green said.

Beginning in February, Kitt Peak National Observatory will operate the Mayall, the WIYN and the 2.1-Meter Telescope.

The Mayall and the WIYN will be continually upgraded, but the 2.1-Meter will be operated in a "just keep it going" mode, Green said.

The Kitt Peak telescopes will be used to identify targets for detailed study on Gemini and other larger U.S. telescopes. They will also be used to follow up on discoveries made by space-based telescopes.

To help achieve those goals, NOAO recently launched two new programs. One sets aside 20 percent of the observing time on national observatory telescopes for sky surveys that will uncover intriguing objects that can be pursued with Gemini.

The national observatory also initiated collaborations with three NASA space observatories: the Hubble Space Telescope, the Chandra X-ray telescope and SIRTF, an infrared telescope to be launched in 2002.

Observers who apply for time on the orbiting observatories will receive follow-up time on ground-based telescopes operated by the national observatory.

"As long as there's that kind of a need, then there's a role for Kitt Peak," Strom said.

NOAO's new long-range plan calls for "reliable, high-productivity operations of three telescopes at Kitt Peak" for the next five years.

At the same time, NOAO will take on a new role: working with universities and independent observatories to develop the next generation of giant ground-based telescopes.

The new role was recommended by the Astronomy and Astrophysics Survey Committee, an influential science panel that issued its latest once-a-decade report in May.

U.S. astronomers will meet in Phoenix next month to start thinking about a new approach to astronomy in this country. Under the new paradigm, private, state and federal observatories will be viewed as a single, integrated system.

"We need to think about what role each component has and how those roles can be meshed in order to create something that everybody in the country can make use of to do her or his science," Strom said.

"If we can pull it off, I think we'll have performed a real service on behalf of the U.S. astronomy community," he said.

"That's not to say it's easy, because there's a lot of self-interest involved. But it's an interesting challenge."

* Contact Jim Erickson at 573-4197 or at erickson@azstarnet.com.