1976 Redux: Somewhere Over the Rainbow
Bild: KPNO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/C. Portnoy, CC BY 4.0
Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue. Many of the telescopes at the U.S. National Science Foundation Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), a Program of NSF NOIRLab, featured in this image, are equipped with spectrographs. These instruments separate light into its constituent colors, just as water droplets in rain clouds split sunlight into a rainbow. By measuring the light emanating from objects in space at different wavelengths — from infrared to visible light — astronomers can learn more about an object’s composition, motion, and distance. Carey Portnoy, a former Technical Assistant at KPNO, captured this image of a double rainbow over the mountain sometime in 1976. On the far left is the distinctly shaped NSF McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope and the vacuum telescope tower behind it, both of which have since been decommissioned. At the time, this tower contained a vacuum chamber that was nearly the full height of the building. It stabilized the environment inside the telescope so astronomers could capture crisp images of the Sun. The center of the image is the observatory’s cafeteria, where staff came together (and still come together) to enjoy meals throughout the day and night. To the right of the cafeteria are the rain-soaked roads, the Robotically Controlled Telescope, and the glistening KPNO 2.1-meter telescope. If you’ve captured an amazing photo of any NSF NOIRLab Programs or facilities, we might feature it as a NOIRLab Image of the Week. You can submit them for consideration to comms@noirlab.edu or info@noirlab.edu.
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