Grant Williams, former associate director of the MMT Observatory, has been named its director. The observatory is on Mount Hopkins, the second-highest peak in the Santa Rita Mountains south of Tucson.
The 6.5-meter (21-foot) diameter telescope is jointly owned and operated by the Smithsonian Institution and the University of Arizona.
Williams recently answered a few questions about the observatory:
What is the MMT's role in astronomy?
"It's a pretty big telescope - the 14th-largest in the world and the third-largest in the continental United States. It is a very versatile telescope with a wide range of instrumentation and can study a wide range of different astronomical sources - things that are very near the Earth, our own solar system and asteroids and comets, from there to the very distant universe, in our own galaxy or nearby larger galaxies and extending very, very far out."
People are also reading…
The MMT upgraded its mirror in 2000. What have you added since then?
"When we started in 2000 as the 6.5-meter, we had just a couple of instruments and were most successful in studying single objects. Since then we've completed two new secondary mirrors. One provides a very wide field of view, which allows us to do wide-field imaging and multi-object spectroscopy, observing 250 to 300 objects in one viewing. The adaptive secondary mirror was for a long time the world's only one. It takes away some of the blurring effects of the atmosphere."
The MMT recently tested and proved multiple lasers to measure and correct blurring.
"That is really exciting. It allows us to correct a larger field of view and to study more objects over a wider field of view. The MMT has a pretty rich history of being utilized for technical innovation and development. It is a test bed for things to be used at the Large Binocular Telescope (on Mount Graham) or the (planned) Giant Magellan Telescope."
Is light pollution an increasing problem for you?
"We really do work hard with the community to keep the outdoor lighting codes strict, but the population is growing and it is an impact. We can use observing in the near-infrared more so than we do now and do high-resolution spectroscopy that can be less hampered by light."
As director, you get telescope time. What are your personal research plans?
"It's one of the great benefits of the job. I'm starting out doing a continuation of research. I'm studying Wolf-Rayet stars, very massive stars near the end of their lives. They've evolved off the hydrogen burning phase. I'm studying them in our own galaxy and in M33, a nearby galaxy where they are quite fainter. I need the light-gathering power of MMT to do that."
Anything to add?
"I'm really excited about this opportunity to lead the MMT. It's a really great telescope with a great historical tradition. I'm really honored to continue to make it a premier astronomical observatory."
Contact reporter Tom Beal at tbeal@azstarnet.com or 573-4158.
Plans for border walls on Tohono O'odham land a 'betrayal,' chairman says
