Gallery 1 - Astronomical   >   Observatories   >   The Discovery Channel Telescope

On a flying trip to California in 2010, we spotted the Discovery Channel Observatory about 40 miles SE of Flagstaff, Arizona perched high on the Mogollon Rim overlooking the Verde Valley at a location called Happy Jack.

The project was a partnership between Discovery Channel and Lowell Observatory and was still under construction at time of these photos. Construction was completed in 2012.

The Discovery Channel telescope is 4.3 meters in diameter and is the 5th largest telescope in the continental U.S. and one of the most technologically advanced. It's also on one of the darkest sites in the US.