The Navy Prototype Optical Interferometer

We describe the Navy Prototype Optical Interferometer (NPOI), a joint project of the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) and the US Naval Observatory (USNO) in cooperation with Lowell Observatory. The NPOI has recently begun operations at the Lowell Observatory site near Flagstaff, Arizona, obtaining its first images, of a binary star, in 1996 May and June and its first limb-darkening observations during 1996 November to 1997 February. This paper gives an overview of the NPOI, including the characteristics of optical interferometry that affect its design.