1. What is Black? Stephen M. Pompea National Optical Astronomy Observatory Tucson, Arizona USA Stephen M. Pompea National Optical Astronomy Observatory Tucson, Arizona USA NOAO Public Affairs and Educational Outreach

2. Dark Night Skies: Kitt Peak and the Tohono O’Odham Nation

3. “This space telescope is not working as well as we would like!”

5. Spitzer Space Telescope in the Clean Room

6. Spitzer Infrared Space Telescope

7. Overview of Talk Why do we need black surfaces? Is black a color? How do we make something become “black”? Examples of black surfaces Designing surfaces--micro-architect?

8. Is Black a Color? Yes, but …. Black depends on light levels We can measure “blackness”

9. Kinds of Surfaces-vocabulary “Diffuse” (rough) “Specular” (smooth) They reflect light very differently!

10. Reflections are everywhere--even glass lenses reflect

12. Coatings are important for telescopes

13. Painted Surface Up Close

14. Tungsten Hexafluoride (Grown surface)

15. Etched Surface (nickel)

16. Cross sectional view of surface

18. Anodized Surface (Martin Black)

19. How things look depends on the wavelength …

20. Graphs Speak to You!

21. New Surface for Absorbing

22. What is black? Non-reflective and absorptive Black is related to wavelength Specular black surfaces and diffuse black surfaces Surfaces roughness helps make a surface black

23. Come Visit Kitt Peak!