University of Arizona's Steward Observatory Richard F. Caris Mirror Laboratory

Our family recently toured the Richard F. Caris Mirror Lab at the University of Arizona, and it was one of the most fascinating experiences we’ve had in Tucson. The tour goes far beyond simply seeing large mirrors, you learn the history of Steward Observatory, how U of A became a global leader in telescope mirror fabrication, and the brilliant engineering behind the design that prevents these massive mirrors from cracking under their own weight. We especially enjoyed learning what the world’s largest telescopes can see and how these mirrors enable discoveries about distant galaxies and the early universe. Our guides, Scarlett and Bella, were knowledgeable and engaging, making complex concepts easy to understand. If you have any interest in science or space, this tour is absolutely worth your time. It’s inspiring to know the only place in the world making these giant telescope mirrors is right here in Tucson.

Out of this world! Offered daily, the 90-minute tour of the Richard F. Caris Mirror Lab begins at Steward Observatory, where two university hosts meet the group (12 people in ours) and begin with a quick introductory talk and video session, to describe what you’ll see in the lab. Our outstanding guides, Adrian and Sage, were friendly, informative, and engaged, encouraging questions and offering interesting insights about the telescope-mirror production process as well as the U of A’s astronomy program as a whole. Next, it’s a short walk to the lab, housed within the infrastructure of the football stadium. From various catwalk vantages, visitors can photograph the rotating furnace apparatus used to melt the Ohara E-6 borosilicate glass and also view the extensive grinding, cleaning, and polishing processes. The lab is currently in charge of fabricating the seven 8.4-meter spin-cast mirrors that will form the heart of the Giant Magellan Telescope, which will have capabilities up to 200x more powerful than today’s best land-based telescopes and is expected to take images 10x sharper than Hubble. It’s amazing to hear about the innovation involved in this project that spans decades, and it’s even more dazzling and inspiring to see it in person — a stellar opportunity that will leave you starry-eyed!

If you are looking for things to do in Tucson, I highly recommend this experience. Yes, the science-y people in your life will absolutely love it, but the story they tell about what's happening at the mirror lab, about its history, and about the future is really interesting, and full of relatable metaphors and cute jokes. We had Scarlet, and she was so awesome, enthusiastic and knowledgeable. I've been on many Tucson tours, and this is one of my favorites! Can highly recommend becoming part of the future by seeing the highly meticulous work happening that will become part of sure-to-be-incredible future science discoveries! Definitely go meet the mirrors for the Giant Magellan telescope (production probably through 2027? 2028?) so you can say you were there!

What a privilege it is to visit these facilities and see first hand how mankind can unravel the mysteries of the universe. If you’re a builder in any genre this tour will interest and inspire you. Amazing to see how a this facility was started and how they are now spearheading modern astronomy. Definitely recommend this tour! Special thanks to our knowledgeable and personable tour guide, Sage!!

Didn't know anything about this place before our tour, but we were blown away with the magnitude of what they are doing. It was so worth the time and money to do this tour and recommend it to everyone. Even better it is a small group tour so plenty of opportunity to ask questions.

Came with my husband. Tour was led by Sage, Philip, Aaron, and Ella. It was amazing. You do have to book in advance, but I was able to find out about this in the morning, I booked the tickets online, and attended the 1 pm tour. Totally fascinating to learn about building giant mirrors for observatories. Super giant mirrors!

A truly wonderful and fascinating experience. We live in Scottsdale and had no idea such a world class facility was so close to visit in Tucson. They are building the mirrors for the largest telescope in the world, GMT, the Giant Magellan Telescope. Our docent, Ella, was able to explain the construction process in lay terms and patiently answered our questions.

We thoroughly enjoyed the Mirror Lab tour with Sage and Andrew. They were engaging and incredibly informative, and encouraged questions. I highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Tucson. The shear size of the mirrors being produced is difficult to grasp until you see the process provided in the lab tour! Thank you Sage and Andrew!