The Spaceship Has Landed

OK, I know this isn't a spaceship, but when I stood in front of it, and saw the fluorescent bulbs reflecting off the blue horseshoe mount, and all the bulbs in the ceiling, and the panels in the dome, this just seemed like some kind of spaceship to me. It is, in fact, the 4-meter Mayall telescope on Kitt Peak. The largest telescope on the mountain. This is a BIG telescope - the Hale Telescope at Mt. Palomar is a 5-meter. Oh, those measurements are the diameters of the mirrors in the telescopes. 4 meters works out to 13 feet in diameter. And it is an unusual design in that it is 100 feet up in the air, a design consideration that hoped to minimize troublesome air currents close to the ground. This telescope is striking from both inside, and outside. Maybe this coming week will be "Telescope Week" and I will show you all more of these magnificent instruments. I bet you can't wait! I intentionally left this picture dark to enhance the other-worldly quality of the scene.