ann24027 — Announcement

New Public and Education Programs Starting at Kitt Peak National Observatory

Lots to look forward to at Kitt Peak with two nighttime programs being brought back by popular demand plus field trips for Tohono O’odham Nation and Tucson Schools

27 September 2024

Join us at the U.S. National Science Foundation Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), a program of NSF NOIRLab, for two unforgettable nighttime experiences brought back by popular demand: the Magnificent Moon Program and the Dark Sky Discovery Program. Located on a sacred Tohono O’odham Nation sky island, KPNO sits high above the Sonoran Desert in a unique mountain environment. Enjoy breathtaking views of the night sky and an intimate connection to nature through the rich flora, fauna, and fascinating geology of the region.

Magnificent Moon Program: Embark on a fascinating, guided journey across the lunar surface. Using powerful telescopes, you’ll explore craters, mountains, maria, rilles, and the locations of the Apollo landings sites in incredible detail like you have never seen before. This experience is run on nights of the month that are close to the full Moon, ensuring excellent lunar vistas. This program generally uses the KPVC Roll Off Roof Observatory.

Dark Sky Discovery Program: Venture into deep space and uncover the secrets of the Universe. This program is held on nights during the month when the Moon is absent, allowing faint and distant objects to shine at their brightest. With the Moon’s light out of the way, you’ll have an unobstructed view to explore nebulae and distant galaxies lurking within the constellations. This program generally uses the KPVC Levine 0.4-meter telescope.

Each program is run year round and offers the opportunity to observe visually through an eyepiece as well as the chance to photograph your favorite sights! Your experience starts when you arrive at the Visitor Center in the late afternoon to meet your guide and telescope operator. Both programs include a tour of our Visitor Center, a light meal, and a basic introduction to astronomy. After watching a glorious Arizona sunset from nearly 2100 meters (6900 feet) above sea level, you’ll learn to identify stars and constellations in the night sky during your personalized stargazing experience. With a low guest-to-staff ratio, typically less than 12:1, you’ll enjoy plenty of telescope time and personalized instruction.

Dress warmly — warm clothes and closed-toed shoes are highly recommended — and prepare for an extraordinary evening under the stars. Reservations are required, and spots fill quickly.

KPNO is also pleased to announce the launch of a variety of field trip programs for K–12 school groups, homeschool groups, and other education groups. This unique experience will give your students an opportunity to see first-hand the cutting-edge science and engineering of a national observatory!

All field trips are tailored by grade level and include a visit to the Windows on the Universe Center at the McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope. Students start by learning about the Tohono O’odham Nation, who are the stewards of the Sonoran Desert, including the Quinlan Mountains where KPNO is located. Students will explore exhibits related to the Sun and learn how astronomy research has led to our current understanding of the cosmos. They will even take a step back in time as they visit the control room and see the technology that once operated the telescope.

Field trips also feature a grade-appropriate Science on a Sphere Show, The Sun: Our Living Star, which takes students on a journey to our nearest star in a 20-minute guided experience. Following the show, students will engage in a hands-on activity that matches their grade level and is correlated to the Arizona Science Standards. A variety of activities are available, each focusing on an important topic in science and astronomy, such as the Solar System, Moon phases, gravity, the nature of light, and the life cycle of stars.

Visit our webpage to find more information about the KPNO field trips and to request a trip for your school.

Join us at Kitt Peak National Observatory and discover the Universe from this remarkable location!

More information

NSF NOIRLab (U.S. National Science Foundation National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory), the U.S. center for ground-based optical-infrared astronomy, operates the International Gemini Observatory (a facility of NSF, NRC–Canada, ANID–Chile, MCTIC–Brazil, MINCyT–Argentina, and KASI–Republic of Korea), Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), the Community Science and Data Center (CSDC), and Vera C. Rubin Observatory (operated in cooperation with the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory). It is managed by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) under a cooperative agreement with NSF and is headquartered in Tucson, Arizona. The astronomical community is honored to have the opportunity to conduct astronomical research on I’oligam Du’ag (Kitt Peak) in Arizona, on Maunakea in Hawai‘i, and on Cerro Tololo and Cerro Pachón in Chile. We recognize and acknowledge the very significant cultural role and reverence that these sites have to the Tohono O’odham Nation, to the Native Hawaiian community, and to the local communities in Chile, respectively.