Monday, July 23rd 207
Well, it’s Monday, so we must be in Arizona and at Kitt Peak National Observatory outside of Tucson, AZ. Today’s taping was to be focused on the 4-meter Mayall and the WIYN telescopes, but the weather had other plans.
Our morning started at the Mayall and we worked through to lunch, but by then the summer monsoons had decided to start a few hours earlier than normal. The sky had filled with dark clouds and rain could be seen hitting the desert floor few miles away. This turn in the weather forced us to postpone our taping of WIYN telescope until later in the week.
But for me the day was more than just about the production. I once worked at Kitt Peak and the return trip was a chance to visit old friends and to reminiscence when my family and I called the mountain home. The staff’s friendly faces and quick smiles pulled back the ten years that have past and renewed friendships that were placed on temporary hold. Kitt Peak is a great place to see science in action but knowing the dedicated people who keep it all working is the real treasure of this mountain island in the desert.
Tomorrow the University of Arizona Mirror Lab and the man who changed how telescope mirrors are made.