Previous Projects

Five College Radio Astronomy Observatory (FCRAO)
FCRAO, built in 1969 by the Five Colleges, incorporates a 14m (42 feet) telescope enclosed by a dome. Its technology has developed alongside the science of radio astronomy, first detecting carbon monoxide in 1970 and leading investigations into the identification and understanding of interstellar medium. It is in the process of being decomissioned to make way for the LMT. View website

2Mass Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS)
Utilizing three infrared bands to detect stars and other sources of infrared waves, 2MASS achieved an 80,000-fold improvement in sensitivity relative to earlier surveys. Its catalogue of the bodies found is extensive and includes low-mass stars and brown dwarfs, previously only theorized to exist. View website

Infrared Optical Telescope Array (IOTA)
IOTA began with an agreement in 1988 among five Institutions, the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Harvard University, the University of Massachusetts, the University of Wyoming, and MIT/Lincoln Laboratory, to build a two-telescope stellar interferometer for the purpose of making fundamental astrophysical observations. It also served as a prototype instrument to perfect techniques which could later lead to the development of a larger, more powerful array. It was disassembled in July of 2006. View website