49 years ago, the McMath Solar Telescope was dedicated.

[Ptah]

http://noao.edu/outreach/kptour/mcmath.html

The McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope is the largest solar
instrument in the world.

This is also the world's largest unobstructed aperture optical
telescope, with a diameter of 1.6 meters.

Dedicated as the McMath Solar Telescope on November 2, 1962,
the facility was later renamed to honor Dr. Keith Pierce as well as Dr. Robert McMath.

The structure includes a tower nearly 100 feet in height from which a
shaft slants two hundred feet to the ground. The shaft continues into
the mountain, forming an underground tunnel where the sun is viewed at
the prime focus. An aerial shot of the top of the McMath-Pierce telescope
reveals the 3-mirror heliostat which collects light and directs it down
the tunnel. Unlike other solar telescopes, the McMath-Pierce is sensitive
enough to observe bright stars in the night.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McMath-Pierce_Solar_Telescope


The McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope is a 1.6-m f/54 reflecting solar telescope
at Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona, USA. The building was designed
by Myron Goldsmith and built in 1962. It is the largest telescope of its kind
in the world and is named for astronomers Robert McMath and Keith Pierce.
At the dedication in 1962, Dr. Waterman read a letter<2> from President
Kennedy starting with:

“ The great new solar telescope at the Kitt Peak National Observatory
in Arizona is a source of pride to the nation. The largest instrument for solar
research in the world, it presents American astronomers with a unique tool for
investigating the nearest of the stars, our sun. This project is of exceptional
interest to all our citizens...

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http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap990118.html


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http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap960315.html

[guyton]

1. and it's really cool to visit!

one of the high points of a spur-of-the-moment drive up to Kitt Peak a few years back!

[Ptah]

2. I think it's one of the top five destinations in Southern Arizona

This is the heliostat on top: