Sites of Mexican Astronomy: present and future

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Sites of Mexican Astronomy present and future

• Alberto Carramiñana
• Instituto Nacional de Astrofísica, Óptica y
  Electrónica
• Tonantzintla, Puebla, México
• alberto_at_inaoep.mx
• UCLA Workshop
• Ground based gamma ray astronomy towards the
  future
• 20/22 october 2005

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INAOEInstituto Nacional de Astrofísica, Óptica
y Electrónica

• Centro Público de Investigación CONACyT.
• Founded in Tonantzintla (90 miles East of Mexico
  City) on 11 Nov 1971.
• Over 100 researchers (AOE CC) and 50
  technicians.
• MSc/PhD 320 students in Astrophysics, Optics,
  Electronics, Computing, Astronomical
  Instrumentation.
• Observatorio Astrofísico Guillermo Haro
  (Cananea).
• GTM/LMT, Laboratorio Nacional de Nanoelectrónica,
  external projects, ...

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IA-UNAM (25)
Cananea OAGH (2.1m)
Sierra Negra GTM/LMT
San Pedro Martir OAN (2.1m, 1.5m, 0.84m)
Universidad de Guanajuato (10)
INAOE (30)
CRyA-UNAM (20)
IA-UNAM (60)
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High energy astrophysics in México?

• Astronomical community very few in high energy
  astrophysics
• UNAM Instituto de Astronomía, CRyA
• INAOE Carramiñana

• Physicists (mainly Auger collaboration)
• Universidad Autónoma de Puebla (BUAP)
• Cinvestav
• Instituto de Ciencias Nucleares UNAM
• Universidad de Michoacán

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Mexican astronomical facilities

• 1940s Tonantzintla Schmidt camera
• 1960 Tonantzintla 1-m telescope
• 1960s San Pedro Martir observatory
• 1970s Cananea observatory
• 1995-2006 Gran Telescopio Milimetrico / LMTwith
  UMass
• 2005 partnership in GTC at 5
• 2012 SPM 6.5m pair?

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Present Mexican Sites

• Cananea
• Sonora - Arizona desert
• 110 23 31 03 2580 m
• seeing 0.8"
• fair sky (20.5) with some light pollution
  (Cananea, Nogales)
• large fraction of observable nights / year (75)
• small site
• easy access (Tucson)
• Run by INAOE
• San Pedro Mártir
• peninsular site
• 115 25 31 02 2836 m
• seeing 0.6"
• dark sky (22 mag/arcsec) low risk of light
  pollution
• Very large fraction of observable nights / year
  (80)
• large area unused
• remote access (San Diego)
• Run by Instituto de Astronomía UNAM

• Sierra Negra
• high elevation dry site
• 97 18 18 59 4580 m
• seeing 0.7"
• sky brightness measurements in progress
• fair fraction of observable nights / year
• One mountain site Citlaltepetl slope site
• easy access (1 hr motorway 1 hr mountain road
  from Puebla)
• Under development by INAOE

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Comparative DIMM Seeing Measurements
Michel et al. , Revista Mexicana Astronomía y
Astrofísica 2004
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Site 1The Cananea Observatory

• Typical Northern Sonora Southern Arizona site
  good weather (except Jul- Aug- Sep), fair seeing.
• Dark but partially affected by Cananea (0.5 mag
  / arcsec2) 13 km
• Single mountain site with three tops at 2500m.
• Easy access 85 km SSE of Mt Hopkins 3 hr drive
  from Tucson

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Site 2 San Pedro Mártir
U 21.5, B 22.3, V 21.2 Second darkest
after Mauna Kea- from a recent sample study
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SPM (2800 m)
Cerros la Botella Azul (2860 m)
Pico Anónimo (2980 m)
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San Pedro Mártir

• Dark, low light pollution prospects, excellent
  seeing, very good percentage of useful nights.
• Home of 2.1m, 1.5m, 0.84m optical telescopes
• Potential development of large facilities (twin
  6.5m project 2012 timeline).
• Recognized as one of the best Northern sites
  (short listed for LSST and under study by TMT
  project).

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Need higher??

• Citlaltepetl (up to 5740m) steep
• Popocatepetl (up to 5400m) steep and active!
• Ixtacihuatl (up to 5100m) hard access, but could
  be
• Sierra Negra / Tliltepetl (4580m) LMT site.
• Nevado de Toluca (4400m) road to the top, snow.
• Cofre de Perote (4200m) road to the top

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Site 3Sierra Negra
2000
El Gran Telescopio Milimétrico The Large
Millimeter Telescope
2005
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Volcán Sierra Negra the GTM / LMT site
Ciudad Serdán
Atzitzintla (at 9 km)
Next to Citlaltepetl (5740 m) Selected from over
30 sites (including SPM) through PWV data The
highest site monitored for LMT (about 4th in the
country) Crab nebula 3 from zenith Galactic
Center close to 45
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Sierra Negra access
100 km (approx)
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The Sierra Negra High
Altitude Observatory

• With the advantages of a thin atmosphere
• Lower atmospheric attenuation (microwaves, UV,
  IR)
• Darker than a 2000m site at same location
• Mid latitude
• Partial access to Southern sky.
• Winter / summer, day / night modulations ? less
  observing time than SPM or Cananea.

• LMT to be completed in 2006 2007
• Solar neutron detector (Geofísica UNAM) already
  operating
• RT5 5m radiotelescope been installed to observe
  the Sun and ISM
• Interest to install optical IR telescope.
• Site Development Plan in process