The Discovery Channel Telescope is located approximately 40 miles southeast of Flagstaff, Arizona at a site known as Happy Jack. The site was selected following extensive testing and subsequent approval by the United States Forest Service in November 2004 for a Special Use Permit to construct the telescope at this location.

The Happy Jack site (lat +34:44:39.2 and long 111:25:20.2) is a partially mined cinder cone of 7746 ft (2361m) elevation perched near the edge of the Mogollon Rim just west of County Highway 209. The paved, year-round highway is adjacent to the base of the mountain and an unimproved forest road provides access to the summit. Commercial power and telephone are available within less than one mile from the site. The site is surrounded by the Coconino National Forest with occasional pockets of sparsely populated private land.

Development of the DCT site began in November 2004 with construction of the access road and clearing the site summit. The formal groundbreaking for the DCT took place on July 12, 2005 at Happy Jack with over 150 invited guests attending. (View a video clip of the groundbreaking ceremony in .avi format or .mov format). Construction of the facility has been in full swing ever since with completion expected by the end of 2006. View photos of DCT construction activity by clicking HERE.

Autumn flowers bloom atop DCT site at Happy Jack, 2005

© 2007 Lowell Observatory - Webmaster - Last updated Thursday, February 08, 2007