Kitt Peak National Observatory

Kitt Peak National Observatory
Various telescopes at the Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO) in the Quinlan Mountains
Alternative namesKPNO Edit this at Wikidata
Organization
Observatory code 695 Edit this on Wikidata
LocationKitt Peak, Arizona, US
Coordinates31°57′30″N 111°35′48″W / 31.9583°N 111.5967°W / 31.9583; -111.5967
Altitude2,096 m (6,877 ft) Edit this at Wikidata
Observing time260 nights per year Edit this on Wikidata
Established1958 Edit this on Wikidata
Websitenoirlab.edu/public/programs/kitt-peak-national-observatory/ Edit this at Wikidata
Telescopes
KPNO Nicholas U. Mayall Telescope4.0 m Ritchey–Chrétien reflector
WIYN Telescope3.5 m Ritchey–Chrétien reflector
McMath–Pierce solar telescopeUnobstructed solar reflector
KPNO 2.1 m TelescopeFourth largest on the mountain
Coudé Feed TowerCoudé spectrograph
NEID Solar TelescopeObtains disk-integrated light for a spectrograph
Coronado ArrayThree commercially produced Meade/Coronado solar instruments used for public education
RCT Consortium TelescopeRobotically controlled
WIYN 0.9 m TelescopeGalactic studies
SOLARIO remote telescopeAstrophotography
CWRU Burrell SchmidtGalactic studies
SARA Observatory 0.9m telescope[1]Variable stars, undergraduate training
Visitor Center telescopesThree instruments used for nightly public programs
Spacewatch 1.8 m Telescope72 in mirror scavenged from the Mount Hopkins MMT
Spacewatch 0.9 m TelescopeSpacewatch
Super-LOTISDesigned to look for visible signatures of GRBs
Auxiliary solar telescopesTwo 0.9 m instruments
Bok TelescopeVersatile
MDM Observatory 1.3 m McGraw-Hill TelescopeOriginally at Ann Arbor
MDM Observatory 2.4 m Hiltner TelescopeGalactic surveys
ARO 12m Radio TelescopeOne of two telescopes operated by the Arizona Radio Observatory, part of Steward Observatory
VLBAOne of ten radio-telescopes forming the VLBA
DIMM all-sky cameramonitors seeing
Kitt Peak National Observatory is located in the United States
Kitt Peak National Observatory
Location of Kitt Peak National Observatory
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The Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO) is a United States astronomical observatory located on Kitt Peak of the Quinlan Mountains in the Arizona-Sonoran Desert on the Tohono Oʼodham Nation, 88 kilometers (55 mi) west-southwest of Tucson, Arizona. With more than twenty optical and two radio telescopes, it is one of the largest gatherings of astronomical instruments in the Earth's northern hemisphere.[2]

Kitt Peak National Observatory was founded in 1958.[3] It is home to what was the largest solar telescope in the world, and many large astronomical telescopes of the late 20th century in the United States.[3]

The observatory was administered by the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO) from the early 1980s until 2019, after which it was overseen by NOIRLab.[4]

In June 2022, the Contreras Fire led to the evacuation of Kitt Peak. The fire reached the summit at 2 a.m. on Friday, June 17. Four non-scientific buildings, including a dormitory, were lost in the fire. [5] As of Monday, June 20, the extent of damage to the telescopes is still being assessed.[6]

  1. ^ "ABOUT". SARA. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
  2. ^ National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO). "Kitt Peak National Observatory". Retrieved February 18, 2012.
  3. ^ a b Lang, Kenneth R. (January 15, 2007). A Companion to Astronomy and Astrophysics: Chronology and Glossary with Data Tables. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN 9780387333670.
  4. ^ Clery, Daniel (October 31, 2019). "U.S. telescopes get a new overseer". Science. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
  5. ^ "Arizona Wildfire Destroys Observatory Buildings". New York Times. June 20, 2022. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
  6. ^ "Contreras Fire Reaches Kitt Peak National Observatory". NOIRLab. June 17, 2022. Retrieved June 18, 2022.