Lowell Discovery Telescope
The dome of Discovery Channel Telescope | |
| Alternative names | DCT |
|---|---|
| Location(s) | Arizona |
| Coordinates | 34°44′40″N 111°25′19″W / 34.7444°N 111.422°W |
| Altitude | 2,360 m (7,740 ft) |
| Diameter | 4.3 m (14 ft 1 in) |
| Secondary diameter | 1.4 m (4 ft 7 in) |
| Website | lowell |
| Related media on Commons | |
The Lowell Discovery Telescope (LDT), formerly the Discovery Channel Telescope (DCT), is a 4.3 m (170 in) aperture telescope owned and operated by Lowell Observatory. The LDT was built at a dark sky site in the Coconino National Forest near Happy Jack, Arizona. Happy Jack is located at an elevation of 2,360 m (7,740 ft) and is approximately 65 km (40 mi) south-south-east of Flagstaff. The project was initially a partnership between Discovery Communications and Lowell Observatory. The research partnerships have been extended to include Boston University, The University of Maryland, The University of Toledo, Northern Arizona University, and Yale University. The telescope cost $53 million. It significantly augments Lowell Observatory's observational capability and enables pioneering studies in a number of important research areas.
With its 4-meter class primary mirror, the Lowell Discovery Telescope is the fifth largest telescope in the continental United States (as of 2019).
Final construction of the telescope was completed by February 2012 and first light images were taken in April 2012.