Richard B. Dunn Solar Telescope

The Dunn Solar Telescope is a unique vertical-axis solar telescope, in Sunspot, New Mexico located at Sacramento Peak, New Mexico. It is the main telescope at the Sunspot Solar Observatory, operated by New Mexico State University in partnership with the National Solar Observatory through funding by the National Science Foundation, the state of New Mexico and private funds from other partners. The Dunn Solar Telescope specializes in high-resolution imaging and spectroscopy to help astrophysicists worldwide obtain a better understanding of how the Sun affects the Earth. Completed in 1969, it was upgraded with high-order adaptive optics in 2004 and remains a highly versatile astrophysical observatory which serves as an important test platform for developing new instrumentation and technologies.

The Dunn Solar Telescope specializes in solar high-resolution imaging and spectroscopy. These observations allow solar astronomers worldwide to obtain a better understanding of the Sun. The telescope was inaugurated as the world's premier high spatial resolution optical solar telescope in 1969. With a horizontal rotating 40-foot-wide observing platform, such that instruments do not have to be mounted on the telescope itself, the Dunn Solar Telescope continues to offer a versatile, user-friendly setup. It has two high-order adaptive optics benches to compensate for blurring by Earth's atmosphere. Scientists and engineers use the Dunn to investigate a range of solar activities, often in concert with satellites or rocket launches, and to develop new technologies for the 4-meter Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope.

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