/ Modified apr 30, 2012 9:56 a.m.

New Telescope for Lowell Observatory

July unveiling ceremony in Happy Jack

By The Associated Press

It's taken a decade to make it, but Lowell Observatory's Discovery Channel Telescope is expected to be completed in time for a July unveiling ceremony.

The opening will be preceded by a prime-time documentary in June that will air on the television channel that has invested $10 million in the $45 million device.

Years of engineering and funding setbacks delayed the opening multiple times. But Lowell Director Jeff Hall says the telescope will be ready to see its first light in the coming months.

The telescope sits 40 miles southeast of Flagstaff in Happy Jack. Lowell has also purchased a ranch nearby to house an astronomer's dormitory and as a place to host future star parties in conjunction with the Discovery Channel.

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