The time has come for renewal of MIRA's use permit for the Oliver Observing Station (OOS) site atop Chews Ridge. The first permit was granted to MIRA in 1974 and that set Chews Ridge as the site for the only independent professional observatory founded in the 20th century. The MIRA founders had studied the characteristics of sites all over North America before settling on the Chews Ridge location.
Chews Ridge met many special astronomical criteria: it enjoyed a dark sky, unaffected by bright lights from nearby urban centers; it had clear skies over 50% of the time; it was above 5,000 feet in elevation (considered a critical elevation for serious astronomy); and, because of the nearby cold Pacific Ocean, it exhibited some of the lowest atmospheric turbulence on the planet. We performed a number of confirmatory tests before and during the first permit period to confirm these characteristics. Non-astronomical considerations, such as its location in a relatively developed area near the Tassajara road, maintained by Monterey County, and the nearby fire tower and campgrounds, provided reduced environmental issues compared to the possibly slightly better sites such as Junipero Serra Peak.
The second permit, granted in 1979, addressed the detailed plans for the OOS. By then, we had developed a careful observatory architecture that was designed around maintaining the excellent conditions of the site. These included the roll-off roof for minimum building-induced air turbulence, the separation of the warm dormitory and control room areas from the ambient temperature telescope observing floor, and the minimum telescope height that would raise it above ground turbulence. Other innovative features included the use of alternate energy sources for power and a triple layer roof to minimize daytime heating of the massive 36-inch telescope.
Of course, all the observationally based research from MIRA, and from many guest observers from other institutions and countries, occurred under the second permit. These included studies of planetary nebulae, a massive study of blue emission-line stars, the development of a new, computer-aided classification system, and international collaborative observations of the variations in just-forming stars, to mention a few.1 Free monthly tours of the observatory were made available to the public during summer months, and material from the OOS was also critical in many of our public education programs.
In 1998, in collaboration with the United States Naval Observatory, MIRA staff performed 18 months of objective tests of the astronomical conditions at the OOS. These results not only confirmed the excellent conditions of the OOS but permitted us to compare our conditions directly to other premier sites such Flagstaff. The MIRA conditions were measurably better.
Of course, there have been some changes over the years. Most notable has been the increased lighting from the Salinas Valley and the effects of the 1999 Kirk Complex fire during which fire crews cleared much of the vegetation from near the OOS.
Although the permit renewal process will divert precious MIRA resources from our research and education efforts, it seems to come at appropriate time in MIRA's evolution. Over the last few years, we have been engaged in a major renovation of the OOS capabilities. The 36-inch and secondary mirrors have been realuminized, the original computer control system has been replaced with a modern DFM Engineering system, the focus housing has been totally reworked, all of the detector systems have been replaced with the most modern and efficient systems available, and the many instrumentation motors have been brought under computer control. Much of the observing has been moved to the control room, and we are currently developing plans for remote observing capabilities which would not only increase our observing efficiency but also open new possibilities in hands-on education opportunities.
These new capabilities have opened up new programs, such as the measurement of the age and size of the Universe through the use of gravitational lenses, while reinvigorating our long-standing research into star and planet formation by greatly extending the depth into the Universe that we can explore. The permit renewal will allow MIRA and guest astronomers to use these new capabilities to unlock a few of the many mysteries of the Universe awaiting us.
You can help the renewal process too, if you like, by writing a letter of support for our renewal to:
Mr. William Metz, District Ranger
USFS
406 S. Mildred Avenue
King City, CA 93930
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Last updated 3/18/02 DMC