Kitt Peak National Observatory facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Various telescopes at the Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO) in the Quinlan Mountains
Location	Kitt Peak, Arizona, US
Telescopes KPNO Nicholas U. Mayall Telescope 4.0 m Ritchey–Chrétien reflector WIYN Telescope 3.5 m Ritchey–Chrétien reflector McMath–Pierce solar telescope Unobstructed solar reflector KPNO 2.1 m Telescope Fourth largest on the mountain Coudé Feed Tower Coudé spectrograph NEID Solar Telescope Obtains disk-integrated light for a spectrograph Coronado Array Three commercially produced Meade/Coronado solar instruments used for public education RCT Consortium Telescope Robotically controlled WIYN 0.9 m Telescope Galactic studies SOLARIO remote telescope Astrophotography CWRU Burrell Schmidt Galactic studies SARA Observatory 0.9m telescope Variable stars, undergraduate training Visitor Center telescopes Three instruments used for nightly public programs Spacewatch 1.8 m Telescope 72 in mirror scavenged from the Mount Hopkins MMT Spacewatch 0.9 m Telescope Spacewatch Super-LOTIS Designed to look for visible signatures of GRBs Auxiliary solar telescopes Two 0.9 m instruments Bok Telescope Versatile MDM Observatory 1.3 m McGraw-Hill Telescope Originally at Ann Arbor MDM Observatory 2.4 m Hiltner Telescope Galactic surveys ARO 12m Radio Telescope One of two telescopes operated by the Arizona Radio Observatory, part of Steward Observatory VLBA One of ten radio-telescopes forming the VLBA DIMM all-sky camera monitors seeing

The Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO) is a famous place for studying space. It is located on Kitt Peak in the Quinlan Mountains in Arizona, USA. This area is part of the Sonoran Desert and is on the land of the Tohono Oʼodham Nation. It is about 88 kilometers (55 miles) west-southwest of Tucson, Arizona.

Kitt Peak is home to more than twenty optical telescopes and two radio telescopes. This makes it one of the biggest collections of space-watching tools in the northern part of Earth. The observatory was started in 1958. It once had the world's largest solar telescope. It also had many big telescopes used in the late 1900s in the United States.

From the 1980s to 2019, the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO) managed Kitt Peak. Now, NOIRLab oversees it. In June 2022, a wildfire called the Contreras Fire caused people to leave Kitt Peak. The fire reached the top of the mountain. Some buildings were damaged, but the extent of damage to the telescopes was checked.

About Kitt Peak Observatory

Kitt Peak was chosen in 1958 as the best spot for a national observatory. Aden B. Meinel was its first director. The National Science Foundation (NSF) helped set it up. The land is leased from the Tohono Oʼodham people through a long-term agreement.

The second director, Nicholas U. Mayall, led the observatory from 1960 to 1971. In 1982, NOAO was created. It brought together the management of Kitt Peak and other observatories. These included the National Solar Observatory and the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile.

The biggest optical telescopes at KPNO are the Mayall 4-meter telescope and the WIYN 3.5-meter telescope. There are also several other telescopes of different sizes. The McMath–Pierce solar telescope was the largest solar telescope in the world for many years. It was also the largest reflector without a secondary mirror blocking the light. The ARO 12m Radio Telescope is also located here.

Kitt Peak is famous for being the first place to use a telescope to look for near-Earth asteroids. These are space rocks that could come close to our planet. Scientists used an old 91 cm (36 inch) telescope to figure out the chance of an impact.

Public Programs at Kitt Peak

The McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope

Kitt Peak offers many fun programs for visitors. You can learn about space and the observatory's history.

• Daytime tours: These tours teach you about the observatory's past. You also get to see a large research telescope up close.
• Nightly Observing Program (NOP): Visitors can come in the late afternoon. They watch the sunset and then use binoculars and telescopes. This lets them see amazing things in space.
• Overnight Telescope Observing Program (OTOP): This program is for a full night of observing. You get to use one of the visitor center's telescopes by yourself. You can take pictures of space or just look through the telescope.

The Southeastern Association for Research and Astronomy (SARA) Telescope at Kitt Peak was shown in a TV documentary. This project followed astronomers from Ball State University. It showed time-lapse images from around Kitt Peak.

A big project started in the 2010s is the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI). It is used with the 4-meter Mayall telescope. DESI helps scientists study distant galaxies. It helps them understand how the universe is expanding and learn about dark energy.

Observatory Facilities

A view of Kitt Peak showing most of the 19 research telescopes

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  A wide view of Kitt Peak from the Warner and Swasey Observatory

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  A wide view from Kitt Peak's Mayall 4-meter Observatory

History of Kitt Peak

Sign at Kitt Peak National Observatory

The Kitt Peak National Observatory in the United States officially opened on March 16, 1960. When it opened, a 36-inch telescope and other buildings were ready. Work was also happening on the planned 84-inch telescope. This telescope is now known as the KPNO 2.1 meter.

The 84-inch (2.1 m) telescope saw its "first light" in September 1964. "First light" means the first time a telescope is used to collect light from a celestial object.

Over many years, the mountaintop gained more telescopes. It also helped make many important discoveries. For example, KPNO helped study dark matter and how to measure distances in space. It also helped study distant galaxies and the Boötes Void, a huge empty area in space. The observatory also has many programs to teach the public about space.

In 2018, KPNO made plans for its Windows on the Universe Center for Astronomy Outreach. This center aims to share the wonders of astronomy with even more people.

Amazing Discoveries

The Mayall 4-meter telescope

In 1976, the Mayall Telescope was used to find methane ice on Pluto. This was an exciting discovery about the dwarf planet.

The 90 cm (35 inch) Spacewatch telescope helped discover a Kuiper belt object called 20000 Varuna in the year 2000. An astronomer noticed this slow-moving object by comparing images.

Climate at Kitt Peak

Kitt Peak is very high up. Because of this, it has a cooler and wetter climate than most of the Sonoran Desert. It experiences a subtropical highland climate.

Images for kids

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  Welcome to Kitt Peak

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  Radio telescope

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  Kitt Peak National Observatory

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  Solar telescope, looking down

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  View of Kitt Peak looking towards the Mayall 4-meter telescope

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  Two of Kitt Peak's telescopes (right: Mayall 4-m telescope; left: Bok 2.3-m telescope)

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  A Vintage Lightning Storm at Kitt Peak

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  The Mayall Telescope

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  The night sky overflows with light and color in this long-exposure image

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  Starry Horizon from Kitt Peak

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  Dusty Skies at Kitt Peak

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  The star-studded arch of the Milky Way dominates this striking skyscape from Kitt Peak National Observatory

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  An eerily lit radio telescope observes a starry sky in this image from Kitt Peak National Observatory

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  The Milky Way appears to cascade down the skies above Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO)

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  Seeing Red at Kitt Peak

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  Sun Beams Over Kitt Peak

See also

In Spanish: Observatorio Nacional de Kitt Peak para niños

• List of astronomical observatories
• List of radio telescopes
• List of telescope types
• Richard Green (astronomer)