Turn right onto 6563. After approximately 16 miles, turn left at the marked spur just before the entrance to the National Solar Observatory. APO is one mile down this drive. Directions to Apache Point Observatory Apache Point was chosen as the site for its altitude and clear weather. At 9200 feet, the atmosphere above the observatory contains little water vapor or contaminants that degrade images.
Wind flows smoothly over the site, allowing the images formed by the telescopes to be sharp.
The night sky at APO is among the darkest in the United States because of clean air and the absence of nearby large cities. Light collected by the 3.5-meter diameter concave mirror at the bottom of the telescope is reflected up to a smaller convex mirror located at the top of the telescope, and is then reflected down again to a third flat mirror. The signals collected by the telescope and its instruments are converted into digital data, which are stored and analyzed using computers. The structures that support the honeycomb mirror can be made lighter and smaller. Remote observing With computers and long-distance electronic networks, astronomers can operate the telescope from their home institutions, and receive back the images and other data from the telescope.