🔭 Magdalena Ridge Observatory

The Magdalena Ridge Observatory (MRO) is an astronomical observatory in Socorro County, New Mexico, about 32 kilometers (20 mi) west of the town of Socorro. The observatory is located in the Magdalena Mountains near the summit of South Baldy Mountain, adjacent to the Langmuir Laboratory for Atmospheric Research. The site currently hosts three astronomical facilities:A 2.4-meter fast-tracking optical telescope has been operational at the site since 2008. A ten-element optical interferometer that is under construction as an international scientific collaboration between New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology and the Cavendish Astrophysics Group of University of Cambridge. As of 2025, two of the ten telescopes have been installed and verified on-sky. A collection of robotic telescopes for time-domain astronomy, managed by researchers at the University of Minnesota.