High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Magdalena Ridge Observatory (MRO) is an astronomical observatory under construction in Socorro County, New Mexico about 20 miles (32 kilometers) west of the town of Socorro off the exit for Water Canyon US 60. MRO is an entity of New Mexico Tech`s Office of Research and Economic Development. The observatory is located near the summit of South Baldy Mountain adjacent to Langmuir Laboratory for Atmospheric Research in the Magdalena Mountains at an elevation of 10,600 feet (3180 meters). When completed, the site will house two main instruments: a ten-element optical interferometer and a single 2.4-meter fast-tracking optical telescope. Magdalena Ridge Observatory is an international scientific collaboration, with the following institutions involved in the design and construction: