View source for ARO 12m Radio Telescope

{{Short description|12-meter dish on Kitt Peak in Arizona}}
{{One source|date=July 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{Infobox telescope}}
The '''ARO 12m Radio Telescope''' (ARO12m or KP12m) is a 12-meter dish located on [[Kitt Peak]], approximately {{convert|60|mi|km|abbr=on}} from [[Tucson]] in [[Arizona]] at an elevation of {{convert|6215.8|ft|m|abbr=on}}.
==History==
The original dish was built in 1967 under the umbrella of the [[NRAO|National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO)]]. At that time, it was {{convert|36|ft|m|abbr=off|sp=us}} in diameter and was known as the 36-foot Telescope. In 1984, it was renovated with a new backup structure and a slightly larger dish. At this point its name was changed to the 12 Meter Telescope.
In 2000, the NRAO passed control of the telescope to the [[University of Arizona]]. The [[University of Arizona]] had been operating the [[Heinrich Hertz Submillimeter Telescope|Submillimeter Telescope (SMT)]] located on [[Mount Graham]] since 1992. When it took over operations of the 12m, it created the [[Arizona Radio Observatory|Arizona Radio Observatory (ARO)]], a part of Steward Observatory of the UArizona College of Science, which now runs both telescopes.
In 2013, the entire antenna (dish and mounting) was replaced with [[European Southern Observatory|ESO]]'s [[Atacama Large Millimeter Array|ALMA]] prototype antenna, which had been located in New Mexico. The new antenna is the same size (12 meters) but has a much better surface accuracy (thereby permitting use at shorter wavelengths), and a more precise mount with better pointing accuracy.
==Observatory Information==
This table displays some of the characteristics of the telescope and the site.<ref>[http://aro.as.arizona.edu/12m_docs/12_meter_description.htm Technical information]</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! colspan=4 | Site
|-
| width=40% | East Longitude
| width=20% align=center | -111°
| width=20% align=center | 36'
| width=20% align=center | 53.475"
|-
| North Latitude
| align=center | +31°
| align=center | 57'
| align=center | 12.000"
|-
| Elevation
| colspan=3 align=center | 1914&nbsp;m (6280&nbsp;ft)
|-
! colspan=4 align=center | Telescope
|-
| Primary Reflector Diameter
| colspan=3 align=center | 12.0 m
|-
| Focal Ratio (f/D)
| colspan=3 align=center | Prime = 0.4, Cassegrain = 8.0
|-
| Surface Accuracy
| colspan=3 align=center | better than 60&nbsp;μm rms
|-
| Mount
| colspan=3 align=center | Elevation over Azimuth
|-
| Slew Rate
| colspan=3 align=center | 6.0°/minute
|-
| Pointing Accuracy
| colspan=3 align=center | 2" rms
|-
| Elevation Limit
| colspan=3 align=center | 3°
|-
| Enclosure
| colspan=3 align=center | Tracking astrodome with movable door
|}
==Science at the 12m Radio Telescope==
In the almost 40 years since it was first built, the 12m Radio Telescope has been at the forefront of millimeter molecular [[astronomy]]: studying molecules in space through the use of [[Molecule#Molecular spectroscopy|molecular spectroscopy]] at millimeter [[wavelengths]]. Many of the [[molecules]] that have been discovered in the [[interstellar medium]] were discovered by the 12m.{{citation needed|date=April 2018}}
==See also==
* [[List of astronomical observatories]]
* [[Lists of telescopes]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
*{{Commons category-inline}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080916212338/http://hamms.as.arizona.edu/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=aro_wiki ARO's Wiki Page]
* [http://aro.as.arizona.edu/ Official Web Site of the ARO]
{{radio-astronomy}}
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[[Category:Radio telescopes]]
[[Category:Astronomical observatories in Arizona]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Pima County, Arizona]]
[[Category:University of Arizona]]
[[Category:Kitt Peak National Observatory]]