Light Pollution near Kitt Peak

The light pollution of Tucson, Arizona can be seen in the backdrop of this photo of Kitt Peak National Observatory, with the Nicholas U. Mayall 4-meter Telescope featured prominently. In addition to being an aesthetic blight, light pollution poses one of the greatest risks to astronomical research at Kitt Peak, drowning out the natural starlight and the light from distant asteroids, comets, galaxies, quasars, and other objects in the night sky.