The NMSU Astronomy Department operates the Apache Point Observatory (APO) for the Astrophysical Research Corporation (ARC), a collaborative partnership that includes NMSU, University of Washington, University of Virginia, Georgia State University, Johns Hopkins University, University of Wyoming, University of Oklahoma, the University of Colorado at Boulder, and Brigham Young University. APO is located in the Sacramento Mountains in southern New Mexico, about a two hour drive from NMSU.

APO is currently home to four astronomical telescopes.

• The ARC 3.5m telescope is a general purpose telescope used by ARC partners for a wide range of astronomical research; NMSU owns a 15% share (about 50 nights/year) of the telescope time. The 3.5m is capable of delivering high quality images to a variety of instruments including an optical imager, an optical spectrograph, an optical echelle spectrograph, a near-IR imager, and a near-IR spectrograph; other instrument initiatives are underway. 

• The Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) 2.5m telescope is also located at APO. The SDSS has operated a series of survey projects since 2000. SDSS is currently in its fifth phase (SDSS-V), in which the main projects are the Milky Way Mapper, the Black Hole Mapper, and the Local Volume mapper. Since SDSS-IV, the SDSS surveys have also included southern hemisphere observations from the Las Campanas Observatory. NMSU has been a partner in all of the SDSS projects, along with many other institutions around the world. The SDSS has been one of the most scientifically productive facilities in the world. 

• NMSU has a node of the global SONG network. SONG is primarily an asteroseismic effort using extremely high-precision spectographs to measure radial-velocity variations of bright stars. To learn more, see the SONG in New Mexico page.

• ARCSAT is a 0.5m telescope located at APO, used for undergraduate training and small research projects by ARC member institutions and astronomers.

 Additional NMSU Astronomy facilites Include:

• The department is leading the operations of the Dunn Solar Telescope at the Sunspot Solar Observatory. The telescope is carrying out synoptic observations of the Sun to understand its magnetic field structure and impact on space weather. The observatory also has a popular Visitor Center that leads tours and has a display museum. We also curate an extensive data archive of these solar observations.
  

• NMSU Astronomy is also home to the Planetary Atmospheres Node of the NASA Planetary Data System, which archives planetary atmospheres data from a wide range of different observatories (including many space missions, such as Pathfinder, Galileo, and Viking). The node funds and provides a range of opportunities for archival research, for both staff and students at NMSU.

• The campus Tombaugh Observatory, where we hold public outreach events and undergraduate labs.

• NMSU also owns a 24-inch reflector on Tortugas Mountain Observatory (known locally as “A” mountain), located just a few miles east of campus. This telescope has been used extensively in the past several decades for planetary observations, including monitoring of Jupiter’s storms and HST-support observations of the Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 impact on Jupiter. It can operate robotically, provides opportunities for observatory training, and can be used for public outreach efforts.

Members of the department also make use of other observational facilities, including national facilities and private facilities through collaborative research efforts. Certain special opportunities are available due to our close proximity to nearby observatories, such as the Very Large Array in Socorro NM (several of our students have received predoctoral fellowships and completed theses there), and the Kitt Peak National Observatory near Tucson AZ. NMSU is also a member of the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, which oversees the management of several major observational facilities.