Table of Contents
Tortugas Mt. Observatory wiki
Quick Links
Telescope web interface (TM61/)
Power controller 1 (admin/)
Power controller 2 (admin/)
Dome webcam (admin/) – must connect from Windows machine
Telescope dials webcam (admin/) – must connnect from Windows machine
NMSU Data page ( Summary logs)
AAVSO thumbnails (aavsonet/)
Overview
Tortugas Mountain Observatory (henceforth TMO) is a facility atop Tortugas Mountain (“A” Mountain) on the eastern outskirts of Las Cruces. TMO's main optical system is a 24“ (61cm) reflector. The observatory was founded in the 1960s, and has a long history of planetary observation. The construction of Apache Point Observatory, equipped with larger, more advanced facilities including a 3.5m telescope, led to TMO falling into disuse in the 1990s. In 2010, NMSU entered into an agreement with the AAVSO (American Association of Variable Star Observers) to turn TMO into a remotely-operated observatory. Refurbishing TMO was accomplished with the assistance of the NMSU Engineering Department.
TMO is located at a latitude of 32°17'35” N (32.293048), a longitude of -106° 41'53“ (-106.698056), and an altitude of 1505m (4937ft) MSL.