description Lowell Discovery Telescope Overview
The Lowell Discovery Telescope is a 4.3-meter aperture optical instrument situated at the Happy Jack station in the Coconino National Forest of Arizona. Operated by the Lowell Observatory and originally funded in partnership with Discovery Communications, the facility achieved first light in 2012. It is designed for astronomical research, specifically focusing on the observation and tracking of near-Earth asteroids, exoplanets, and populations within the Kuiper Belt.
help Lowell Discovery Telescope FAQ
Why was the Discovery Channel Telescope renamed the Lowell Discovery Telescope?
The telescope was originally known as the Discovery Channel Telescope through Lowell Observatory's partnership with Discovery Communications. It now carries the Lowell name, and Lowell Observatory solely owns and operates it.
What can astronomers observe with the Lowell Discovery Telescope?
Its 4.3-meter primary mirror supports research on subjects such as asteroids, comets, exoplanets, stars, and distant galaxies. Instruments including the Large Monolithic Imager and the EXPRES spectrograph allow imaging and precision spectroscopy.
Where is the Lowell Discovery Telescope located?
It stands at a dark-sky site in the Coconino National Forest near Happy Jack, roughly 40 miles southeast of Flagstaff, Arizona. This is separate from Lowell Observatory's historic Mars Hill campus in Flagstaff.
What is unusual about the telescope's instrument system?
Its rotating instrument cube can hold as many as five instruments simultaneously. That lets observers switch capabilities efficiently, which has earned the 4.3-meter telescope the nickname Swiss Army Knife of Telescopes.
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