Tucson Astronomy and Arizona Astronomy
Tucson astronomy is an important Scientific field of study in the academic arena. What are some of the major astronomical and astronomy-related facilities in the Tucson area, that are related to Arizona astronomy? What is astronomy’s role in our local economy? Are there any ethical or environmental issues related to the pursuit of astronomy in the Desert Southwest? What about university of Arizona astronomy?
There are a wide variety of astronomy related facilities in the Tucson area. One of the most well known is the Kitt Peak National Observatory. The location was chosen after a study of over 150 mountain ranges. People from all across the world travel to Tucson to have the chance to use the equipment at Kitt Peak in their research. The Kitt Peak National Observatory is part of the National Optical Astronomy Observatory, which has other facilities in Chile and Hawaii. The National Optical Astronomy Observatory is based in Tucson, the epitome of Arizona astronomy.
Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona, a star in Arizona Astronomy and Tucson Astronomy
Here in Tucson astronomy facilities also are at the Steward Observatory and Steward Observatory Mirror Lab, which produces mirrors which can be used as a component in telescopes. Steward Observatory is used by the University of Arizona Department of Astronomy in their work and research. Also at the University of Arizona is the Flandrau Science Center and Planetarium, which is a good resource especially for students of astronomy in Tucson. On Mt. Lemmon is the Mt. Lemmon Sky Center. Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter dubs itself a “science learning facility”. They offer programs open to the public and feature a 24 inch telescope, a great opportunity for Tucson astronomy and Arizona astronomy enthusiasts.
With so many important astronomy-related facilities around Tucson, it is not surprising that Astronomy would play a role in our economy. On one hand, there are tourists drawn to Arizona’s astronomy publicly accessible facilities such as SkyCenter, Flandrau Science Center, and Kitt Peak Observatory (on very select days). Who very well may buy lunch or dinner at the least, and may even spend half the day shopping or even end up moving here after seeing how nice it can be. On the other hand, we draw research teams from all around the world to use the facilities and attend or meet with our institutions and locally based organizations such as the National Optical Astronomy Observatory. Many of these people will live here on a semi-long term basis, providing another large boost to our economy.
The primary issue I can think of concerning the environment when it comes to astronomy is the issue of light pollution in Tucson. This issue affects essentially anyone who lives in anything but a remote area in Arizona. I would think this is a problem at Steward Observatory here in concerning Astronomy in Tucson to some degree, although Tucson is not too bad on light pollution compared to some places (except when they leave the stadium lights on at University of Arizona (UA) all night for some unknown reason).
There is also an issue in Tucson astronomy and Arizona Astronomy as to whether we should use Federal or State money to fund Astronomical research. Some people believe that we should stop funding programs like NASA in order to at least begin to reduce the rate of growth in the federal budget deficit. This affects institutions like the University of Arizona who work with NASA on projects including the Phoenix Mars Mission.
“About | Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter.” Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Aug. 2010. <http://skycenter.arizona.edu/about.html>.
“National Optical Astronomy Observatory .” National Optical Astronomy Observatory . N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Aug. 2010. <http://www.noao.edu/>.
While I agree that, “More state and federal fundings should go to institutions like this and Kitt Peak. It is very important that we know our role in the universe,” I really don’t see anything but the opposite of that happening. Personally I recognize how important astronomy is, both to furthering our knowledge of technology in all fields, as well as the role in our economy. Many important discoveries which have been applied to civilian life were uncovered by NASA research.
Unfortunately, with the country so hopelessly far in debt after the failed policy of George W. Bush, politicians are being forced to cut back the budget. It is hard to say which programs are cut and which stay. Despite what is true and no matter how important astronomical research is to the world, I believe politicians will begin to continue cutbacks in the budget on astronomical research. The primary source of funding in the future will need to be from private sources. We have already seen NASA programs cut significantly and it is very possible that this trend will continue.
The most interesting thing for me that U of A has done is the Phoenix Mars mission. The mission was undertaken with the goal of answering the questions, “(1) can the Martian arctic support life, (2) what is the history of water at the landing site, and (3) how is the Martian climate affected by polar dynamics” (Arizona).
I believe they did find ice as they expected, and most of the research I have seen has been studying the interaction between the ice and dirt, and whether it is possible to create liquid water in liquid form under any circumstances. The Phoenix Mars Lander has stopped responding.
I didn’t realize Tucson actually had a lighting ordinance. I think it does work though, because the lights at night aren’t too bad on many nights. I know what you mean about the stars outside of the city in Arizona though, they are amazing. The most stars I have seen in my life was camping way out in the middle of nowhere in the mountains in Arizona.
The major role that media plays in the world of astronomy is keeping the general public aware of developments in general so the society realizes the importance of astronomical research, and of events locally to get people other than hardcore astronomy fans who are paying attention to attend. This is important for ensuring that Astronomy continues to play a role in our economy.
References:
“Phoenix Mars Mission – Mission – FAQ.” Phoenix Mars Mission – Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Aug. 2010. .