Mt. Jelm and WIRO from Laramie	WIRO and the Snowy Range to the West
WIRO looking west	WIRO looking east

(photo credit: Chip Kobulnicky and Jan Kubelka)

REU summer research program for undergraduates at WIRO

The University of Wyoming's 2.3-meter telescope is located at the Wyoming Infrared Observatory (WIRO) about 25 miles southwest of Laramie, WY on the summit of Jelm Mt. and at an altitude of 9656 ft. (2943m). This site was chosen because: (1) the dryness of the air, an important consideration for infrared astronomy since moisture strongly absorbs infrared radiation, (2) comparatively low turbulence in the air above the mountain, (3) a dark night sky, (4) close proximity to the University of Wyoming, and (5) pre-existing road, electricity and phone lines since Jelm was formerly used by the US Forest Service and BLM as a fire lookout station. The planning for WIRO began in the early 1970s. Funding for the facility was obtained in 1975 from the Wyoming State Legislature (contributing 60%) and from the National Science Foundation (40%). The total construction costs were nearly two million dollars. WIRO became operational in September of 1977 and it still ranks as one of the premier infrared observatories in the world. A narrated picture show by one of WIRO's builders, Robert Gehrz, can be found here . A list of publications based on WIRO data is also available.

The weather on Jelm can be extreme Winter temperatures can drop below -40 F and wind speeds can occasionally exceed 100 mph. Snow covers the road from October until May and can limit travel on the mountain to Sno-Cats and ATVs. In the spring and summer, lightning is a serious threat to the sensitive electronics at the observatory requiring extensive efforts to isolate and protect this equipment.

Optical Design
The design of the WIRO 2.3 meter telescope is a classical Cassegrain. This includes a large, concave primary mirror with a parabolic surface and a smaller convex secondary mirror with a hyperbolic shape. This allows for two optical configurations. At the prime focus the light from a distant object is brought to a focus about 5 meters above the primary mirror's surface. This is the location for the main imaging cameras for WIRO as it provides the largest field of view. In the Cassegrain configuration an 8" diameter convex secondary mirror is placed in the converging beam to intercept the light before it reaches the prime focus and send it back down the length of the telescope and through a hole in the primary mirror to form a secondary image about 1 meter behind the primary mirror. This configuration provides a smaller field of view but a better imaging scale for smaller astronomical objects. In addition, the location of this secondary image allows for much larger instruments to be placed behind the primary mirror on the rear surface of the telescope structure. The secondary mirror can be "chopped" or wobbled under computer control to allow for rapid, alternating sampling of an astronomical object and the nearby, blank sky. This enables the most accurate measurements at mid-infrared wavelengths since at this wavelength the "dark" night sky is actually quite bright and variable.

Telescope Structure and Dome Enclosure
The telescope needs to be precisely pointed and must track across the sky to follow the apparent motion of an object from East to West as the Earth rotates. The telescope mount was manufactured by L&F Industries of Huntington Park, CA at an original cost of nearly $700,000. The combined weight of the telescope and its mount is about 110,000 lbs. Of this, 60,000 lbs moves when the telescope is operated. However, the precise balancing of the telescope means that the 30 tons of moving mass can be moved with a 1/10 horsepower electric motor. The drive gears are machined to very close tolerances and are capable of positioning the telescope with an accuracy of 1/10 arcsecond (1/36,000 of a degree). The telescope is operated under computer control in order to model and correct for the flexure of the telescope structure as it is pointed toward different positions on the sky. The hemispherical dome, which shelters the telescope and its instrumentation, is 45 feet in diameter. The dome was designed and constructed by Observa-Dome Laboratories of Jackson, Mississippi. It features a 10-foot wide "slit" which can be opened for observations and rests on 18 rollers such that it can be driven by three 1 horsepower motors to follow the telescope as it points to various objects and tracks them across the sky. The telescope and instrument control room is located in an adjacent building to the telescope dome. This building also contains a small laboratory for instrument preparation and repair. The lab features a selection of tools and a turbofan vacuum pump for dewar and instrument maintenance. A small machine shop is also available for more serious repairs!

Living Facilities
Observers at the 2.3-meter telescope usually stay at WIRO while observing. The living facilities includes three dorm rooms(red, blue, yellow), a full-function kitchen, a bathroom, and a living room and the control room.

Observing at WIRO (Including Community Access Time)
By agreement with NSF, WIRO is is offering 150 clear (meaning useable, not photometric) hours of observing time to the astronomical community each year over the period 2009 July through 2012 June. This time is in return for funding from the National Science Foundation that permitted an upgrade of the WIRO telescope control system in November 2008. Time will be distributed throughout the year on a quarterly basis. WIRO weather is best in the summer and fall, so we expect that the majority of programs will be conducted during those quarters. Proposals will be reviewed by a UW time allocation committe. Proposals will be ranked 55% on scientific merit and suitability to the capabilities of WIRO, 35% on value to training students, and 10% on benefit to underserved institutions or persons. We anticipate that most observing will be conducted in service mode, but we encourage on-site guest observers. We are unable to fund visitor travel, but we can provide lodging, free of charge, at the observatory. At the present time, community access observers would use either the WIRO-Prime imager or the Longslit spectrograph. Interested visitors are encouraged to contact observatory director Chip Kobulnicky chipk AT uwyo DOT edu for further information prior to the submission process.

Observing time is allocated on a quarterly basis to the faculty and students of the Department of Physics and Astronomy and qualified visitors. Scientists interested in obtaining observing time in the next quarter should submit a proposal not to exceed 4 pages to the the WIRO director by the appropriate deadline. The schedules and proposal deadlines are below. Please read about WIRO observing policies before observing. If observing November - April, please be advised that winter weather can be severe. A picture of suggested winter apparel can be found here.

WIRO Weather
For Current WIRO weather check
Satellite
WIRO Clear Sky Clock
IR satellite
Cheyenne radar
NOAA turbulence forecast
WIRO Weather Station
WIRO logged weather reports

WIRO Proposal Deadlines and Observing Schedules