National Solar Observatory

The National Solar Observatory at Sacramento Peak is located at 9,200 feet.  There are several facilities here.  The Evans Solar Facility, which consists of two telescopes, is in the Big Dome, which was completed in 1952.  The Hilltop Dome was completed in 1863.  It contains several telescopes that are used to look at the whole Sun all the time that the Sun is visible.  The Dunn Solar Telescope doesn’t look like the typical telescope; it’s not a dome.  It looks more like a cone and has an entrance window and two mirrors at the top that guide the light of the Sun down a 329 ft. evacuated tube

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