Kitt Peak National Observatory is
located 90 minutes west of Tucson Arizona on the Tohono O'odham
Indian Reservation. The observatory is home to one of the largest
collections of optical telescopes. It houses twenty-two optical
and two radio telescopes representing dozens of astronomical
research institutions.
The Kitt Peak Visitor Center is open to the
public daily from 9 a.m. to 3:45 p.m., except Thanksgiving,
Christmas, and New Year’s day. Guided tours are offered
daily at 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m., and 1:30 p.m. and group tours
are available by appointment. Tours are approximately one hour
long.
To see Kitt Peak in action, come visit the observatory
at night. The Nightly Observing Program is an introduction to
planispheres, constellations, binocular viewing, and a state-of-the-art
16 inch telescope.
The Advanced Observing Program offers the amateur
astronomer a chance to observe using a large telescope with
state-of-the-art instruments. No experience is required. Reservations
for these two programs need to be made in advance.
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