Comments on: Fire at Kitt Peak observatory

By: John Paradox

John Paradox — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 00:24:23 +0000

Looks like it’s over
http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/hourlyupdate/191529

J/P=?

By: John Paradox

John Paradox — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 19:09:33 +0000

Thursday morning, 7/12/07: Eighty percent containment, with North (toward KP) not one of the problems:
from the Tucson Citizen:
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/local/57257.php

J/P=?

By: Cindy

Cindy — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 12:55:43 +0000

Yikes, I spent 150 nights at MDM observatory which is also on Kitt Peak. I’ve wondered at times when I was observing what would happen if there was a forest fire.

Phil, didn’t you use UVA’s telescope for your master’s thesis? What size is that? I distinctly remember a rather humorous story you wrote involving the Exorcist and that telescope.

By: John Paradox

John Paradox — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 07:58:32 +0000

Early Tuesday in Southern Arizona:
http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/191094

J/P=?

By: fashionhause

fashionhause — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 03:28:38 +0000

http://www.shop34614110.taobao.com

By: hale_bopp

hale_bopp — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 19:47:10 +0000

“The claim is that in December 2012, the sun, earth, and galactic center will all form a straight line and cause the poles to suddenly flip on the earth, wreaking havoc and basically destroying civilization.

Any comment?”

Yes…doesn’t this happen, like, twice a year?

Rob

By: Harvi

Harvi — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 18:58:56 +0000

sigh… the only one of our observatories that *hadn’t* been in danger of burning in the past 6 years.

I heard about it on our department email yesterday and then went to the dining room window and looked out at it. Yep, there’s a big haze covering the mountains to the south of Kitt Peak.

And I need to use the 90″ for my postdoc! sigh…

Here’s the update from the Tucson paper:
http://www.azstarnet.com/dailystar/190964

By: The Bad Astronomer

The Bad Astronomer — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 16:38:38 +0000

El Guapo: yes. It’s crap.

By: MichaelS

MichaelS — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 16:15:07 +0000

Wow, I knew about the two fires that burned 20-some acres last Friday, but I hadn’t heard about this one that’s burned 3500 acres as of 2 PM yesterday. Maybe because Kitt Peak is like 60 miles away and the Catalina’s are only 20 or 30.

It sucks though, because this area is so dry just about anything will start a fire.

By: spacewriter

spacewriter — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 14:47:28 +0000

Actually, I went from a 3″ telescope to HST to a 6″ telescope…

We visited Mt. Stromlo last year (2006) for a day and it was amazingly sad at how damaged it was, but also amazing at how it’s being rebuilt, with an eye toward student telescopes and the solar facility. We have pics here: http://www.lochnessproductions.com/mandc/australia/canberra.html (scroll down to see Mt Stromlo pics).

Griffith was actually in no danger of burning down per se, as it turns out. But, smoke damage was a very real problem they faced, as well as increased heat that could have set off the building’s sprinkler system. I would have felt very bad if it had been damaged; it’s a great facility, a beautiful building, and I have good friends working there. I worked with them for more than a year, writing their exhibits, and I get back there every chance I can to visit with them and see how things are going. Griffith Park is just a tinder box, and I was astounded at how much burned in the fire.

I hope Kitt Peak weathers the fires. The world can’t keep losing its astronomy facilities.

By: Regner Trampedach

Regner Trampedach — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 14:44:33 +0000

Unfortunately there is not going to be a solar telescope at Mt. Stromlo. The old, and now restored, administration building did house the telescope of the Commonwealth Solar Observatory (CSO),
but Mt. Stromlo is not going to host scientific telescopes in the
foreseeable future – that’s left for the Siding Spring Observatory
(http://www.mso.anu.edu.au/about_us/sso_anu.php), which experiences less light pollution.
- Regner

By: OneHotJupiter

OneHotJupiter — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 14:07:58 +0000

May the FSM , bless those at Kitt Peak and spare those great scopes.

Also , yes PLEASE tell us more of your Hubble experience!!

By: El Guapo

El Guapo — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 13:52:31 +0000

Just wondering you are planning on addressing the Discovery Channel special on “Doomsday 2012″

http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/2012/video/x1ci1n_doomsday-2012-preview

The claim is that in December 2012, the sun, earth, and galactic center will all form a straight line and cause the poles to suddenly flip on the earth, wreaking havoc and basically destroying civilization.

Any comment?

By: A Ler…-- Rastos de Luz

A Ler…-- Rastos de Luz — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 13:51:34 +0000

[...] “Fire at Kitt Peak Observatory“. Ainda no mesmo blog, “Dawn launch postponed to September“; [...]

By: PsyberDave

PsyberDave — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 12:48:22 +0000

Tell us more about your use of Hubble.

By: Sue Mitchell

Sue Mitchell — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 10:47:16 +0000

B.A. says “I went from my 10â€³ Newtonian to Hubble.”

You say that like it’s just an every-day event…

::turns green with envy::

–

By: Nigel Depledge

Nigel Depledge — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 09:14:28 +0000

“I went from my 10â€³ Newtonian to Hubble”

That must have been such a hardship!!

By: Michelle

Michelle — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 03:14:18 +0000

Here’s to hoping the fire will be stopped ASAP.