The growing name recognition of San Pedro Mártir is both evidence of, and a catalyst for, astronomers in Mexico and the US eyeing the Baja California site as a possible new hot spot for ground-based telescopes.
The site has been home to Mexico’s national observatory since the 1970s. The largest and newest of its three telescopes is 2.1 meters in diameter and has been in use for more than two decades. But over the past couple of years, momentum has been mounting to develop the 2800-meter-high site, which is located about 300 kilometers southeast of San Diego, midway between the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of California. San Pedro Mártir, proponents say, could rival any existing telescope site.
Turning San Pedro Mártir into a world-class astronomy site got a boost early this year when two groups in Mexico merged their previously competing plans for large optical telescopes. Astronomers at the...
