Seeing Stars Day and Night at Kitt Peak

I'm not an astronomy geek. In fact, if I were lost in the wilderness I'd be hard pressed to find the North Star. But there's one star in our solar system that I'm quite familiar with, and so are you. The sun, which is the main attraction at Kitt Peak National Observatory.


Kitt Peak National Observatory is located southwest of metropolitan Tucson, high on a mountaintop on the Tohono O'odham Reservation. The scenic, 75 minute drive through the Sonoran Desert is highlighted by the spectacular view from the 12 mile stretch of road that climbs 3,000 feet up Kitt Peak to an elevation of nearly 7,000 feet above sea level.

The observatory, which was established in the late 1950s, has a number of notable achievements. It is the location of the first national astronomical observatory in the United State. It is home to the largest collection of research telescopes -- 25 optical and two radio telescopes. However, it's most famous for the National Solar Observatory, the largest in the world.

The National Solar Observatory looks and operates similar to the "pinhole camera" you made as a kid to view a solar eclipse. (My apologies to scientists and astronomers, everywhere. I'm going to dumb this down a bit.) Sunlight comes in through a hole, travels downward and reflects onto another surface. What you get isn't a dot of light coming through a hole, it is an actual image of the sun! Of course, the National Solar Observatory at Kitt Peak has a lot more bells and whistles.

Another interesting fact about the National Solar Observatory is that unlike the other observatories at Kitt Peak, which are active at night, it has astronomers and scientists working during the day. Visitors can tour the facility and watch them up close, as they work. I had the opportunity to view live images of sunspot forming across the surface of the sun. How cool (or should I say, hot) is that?..!

Kitt Peak National Observatory offers three guided tours each day (except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years day), but only the 10:00 A.M. tour visits the solar telescope. There's also a free self-guided tour. Whichever tour you take, a visit to Kitt Peak National Observatory is worth the trip, even if you don't know an asteroid from your ass.

Note: Apparently Kitt Peak National Observatory and I have something in common. We're the same age. The National Solar Observatory, which kicked off astronomical exploration at Kitt Peak, came on line in November 1962. I can't say I've accomplished as much in (nearly) 50 years, but I still have a year and nine months to go. Anything is still possible.