Simons Observatory
The Large Aperture Telescope, part of the Simons Observatory | |
| Alternative names | Observatorio Simons |
|---|---|
| Location(s) | Atacama Desert |
| Coordinates | 22°57′31″S 67°47′15″W / 22.9586°S 67.7875°W |
| Altitude | 5,200 m (17,100 ft) |
| Wavelength | 27, 39, 93, 145, 225, 280 GHz (1.110, 0.769, 0.322, 0.207, 0.133, 0.107 cm) |
| Number of telescopes | 4 |
| Diameter | 6, 0.5 m (19 ft 8 in, 1 ft 8 in) |
| Website | simonsobservatory |
| Related media on Commons | |
The Simons Observatory is located in the high Atacama Desert in Northern Chile inside the Chajnator Science Preserve, at an altitude of 5,200 meters (17,000 ft). The Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) and the Simons Array were located nearby but these instruments have now been replaced by the current (3 small-aperture telescopes and one large-aperture telescope) telescopes of the Simons Observatory. These instruments are currently making observations of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB). Their goals are to study how the universe began, what it is made of, and how it evolved to its current state. The Simons Observatory shares many of the same goals of the previous experiments but takes advantage of advances in technology to make far more precise and diverse measurements. In addition, it is envisaged that many aspects of the Simons Observatory (optical designs, detector technologies, and so on) will be pathfinders for the future CMB-S4 array.
The Simons Observatory has been made possible by a combined $40.1 million grant from the Simons Foundation and a number of participating universities. The observatory is named after the foundation and its founders: Jim Simons, the hedge-fund billionaire and philanthropist who died on May 10, 2024, and his wife, Marilyn, a trained economist. The collaboration is large and multinational with over 300 scientists at over 35 institutions across the world.
The original cost of the observatory is $110 million, with $90 million from the Simons Foundation.
Currently (2025), grants from the United States' National Science Foundation, the United Kingdom, and Japan have enabled plans to expand the observatories capabilities. In addition to doubling the number of detectors installed in the large-aperture telescope, additional small-aperture telescopes will be built. To reduce the observatories dependence on diesel generators, a large array of solar panels is being constructed.