Mark III Stellar Interferometer
Encyclopedia
The Mark III Stellar Interferometer was a long-baseline optical astronomical interferometer
, located at the Mount Wilson Observatory
, California
, United States
. It had a maximum baseline of 32 meters and operated in wavelengths between 450 and 800 nm. A joint venture between the United States Naval Observatory
, the Naval Research Laboratory, the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
, it began operation in 1987 and was closed in 1992. The Naval Observatory later constructed a larger interferometer, the Navy Prototype Optical Interferometer
.
The Mark III interferometer was used to resolve a number of spectroscopic binary system
s, including Alpha Andromedae
, Phi Cygni, and many others.
Astronomical interferometer
An astronomical interferometer is an array of telescopes or mirror segments acting together to probe structures with higher resolution by means of interferometry....
, located at the Mount Wilson Observatory
Mount Wilson Observatory
The Mount Wilson Observatory is an astronomical observatory in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The MWO is located on Mount Wilson, a 5,715 foot peak in the San Gabriel Mountains near Pasadena, northeast of Los Angeles...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It had a maximum baseline of 32 meters and operated in wavelengths between 450 and 800 nm. A joint venture between the United States Naval Observatory
United States Naval Observatory
The United States Naval Observatory is one of the oldest scientific agencies in the United States, with a primary mission to produce Positioning, Navigation, and Timing for the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Department of Defense...
, the Naval Research Laboratory, the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory is a research institute of the Smithsonian Institution headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where it is joined with the Harvard College Observatory to form the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics .-History:The SAO was founded in 1890 by...
, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
, it began operation in 1987 and was closed in 1992. The Naval Observatory later constructed a larger interferometer, the Navy Prototype Optical Interferometer
Navy Prototype Optical Interferometer
The Navy Prototype Optical Interferometer , is an astronomical interferometer operated by the United States Naval Observatory Flagstaff Station, in collaboration with the Naval Research Laboratory and The Lowell Observatory...
.
The Mark III interferometer was used to resolve a number of spectroscopic binary system
Star system
A star system or stellar system is a small number of stars which orbit each other, bound by gravitational attraction. A large number of stars bound by gravitation is generally called a star cluster or galaxy, although, broadly speaking, they are also star systems.-Binary star systems:A stellar...
s, including Alpha Andromedae
Alpha Andromedae
Alpha Andromedae , which has the traditional names Alpheratz and Sirrah , is the brightest star in the constellation of Andromeda. Located immediately northeast of the constellation of Pegasus, it is the northeastern star of the Great Square of Pegasus...
, Phi Cygni, and many others.