Steward Observatory (University of Arizona) — Attraction in Tucson

My review is for the evening stargazing program, not the mirror lab tour. I have done the rounds of all the stargazing programs that Tucson offers and as special as the Mount Lemmon evening was, Steward Observatory really was a close second. Do not be put off by the fact that they are in the city - the 21" telescope is far superior to what Kitt Peak uses for visitors, for example. As amazing as the telescope is the grad students operating were what made the evening truly remarkable.

When I was there, Animesh and Colton were the two astronomy grad students receiving visitors. Either of them could certainly have a successful career in science education if they ever get tired of astronomy (which seems extremely unlikely). They pitched their answers perfectly to the very varied level of science equation of those presents, explained complex topics clearly without sacrificing key points, and most importantly transmitted their passion and owner for that the stars can teach us.

Animesh patiently offered his techs skills to reconfigure people's phones to capture the various objects, and the photos uploaded here are all his. Colton and Animesh responded to the enthusiasm and curiosity of a small group that was there at the end of the scheduled viewing time and stayed well after their closing time (!) talking about astronomy and seeking out more and more objects they thought we might be interested in seeing and talking us through what we were seeing with great skill.

Every other Monday the observatory opens the dome and visitors can view the moon, planets, nebulae, galaxies and whatever else is in our night sky at the moment.

Unlike at Kitt's Peak, they are not rushing you through to get you off the mountain according to their schedule but clearly have as their mission to have you see and learn about as much as possible.

And Steward Observatory is right in town, rather than a three hour round trip up into the mountains like Mount Lemmon or Kitt's Peak which for me was a very distant third among these three.

I wished I lived in Tucson. I would be peering up at the night skies at Steward Observatory all year round.

Do note - it is a two-story climb and I did not see an elevator, so do inquire first if...

Black hole cosmology, also known as "Schwarzschild cosmology," proposes that our observable universe exists within a black hole situated in a larger universe. This theory, initially proposed by physicist Raj Kumar Pathria and mathematician I. J. Good, suggests that the event horizon of a black hole serves as the boundary of our visible universe.

Key aspects of black hole cosmology include:

Every black hole in our cosmos could potentially be a portal to a separate "baby universe"

The collapse of matter into a black hole may lead to a bounce and expansion, similar to the Big Bang

This model could explain cosmic observations without requiring assumptions like inflation, dark matter, or dark energy

The theory aligns with the recent JWST findings of a preferred direction in early galaxy rotation, which challenges conventional cosmological models

While still controversial, black hole cosmology offers an intriguing alternative framework for understanding the origin and structure of our universe, potentially resolving long-standing...

Visited the observatory as the starting place for the mirror lab tour. Nice, historic observatory, although we did not get to see the telescope (daytime visit). The mirror lab tour (primary part of this rating) was pretty exceptional! They had two of the GMT, 8.4m mirrors there in two stages of construction: for #7 they were removing the honeycomb cells, #5 was in polishing. There were a couple of additional, 'smaller' mirrors there in late stages of construction (if you can call a 3m mirror small). Nothing in the spin-furnace, although it was fully assembled for cal/maintenance. Great docents (Yumi and Jorge), knowledgeable and welcoming...