Nicholas U. Mayall 4-meter Telescope

The Kitt Peak National Observatory is located on Kitt Peak of the Quinlan Mountains in the Arizona-Sonoran Desert on the Tohono O'odham Nation. With over twenty optical and two radio telescopes, it is one of the largest gatherings of astronomical instruments in the northern hemisphere.
The Nicholas U. Mayall 4-meter Telescope, named for the former Director of the Kitt Peak National Observatory, was the second-largest telescope by aperture at the time of its first light in 1973. The eighteen-story telescope, located just below the summit of Kitt Peak, can be seen from over fifty miles away. Today it is the largest in Kitt Peak National Observatory. The facility is well known for discovering methane ice on Pluto.
For scientists: More details can be found on the science page.
Nicholas U. Mayall 4-meter Telescope
Name(s) |
Nicholas U. Mayall 4-meter Telescope |
Status |
Operational |
Broad Science Goals |
Wide-field optical and infrared imaging and spectroscopy to 2018
DESI multi-object optical spectroscopy since 2019
|
Site |
Kitt Peak National Observatory, Arizona, USA |
Location Coordinates |
111º 35’ 59.6’S 31º 57’ 50.50’E |
Altitude |
2120m |
Enclosure |
|
Type |
|
Optical Design |
Ritchey-Chretien Reflector Telescope |
Field of View |
3 degrees (DESI) |
Diameter: Primary M1 |
4.0 m; masked to 3.797 m |
Material: Primary M1 |
Fused quartz |
Diameter: Secondary M2 |
1192 mm (prior to DESI installation) |
Material: Secondary M2 |
|
Mount |
The equatorial mounting has an inclination of 32 degrees with a "horseshoe" bearing (right ascension, parallel to earth's axis) and a perpendicular bearing (declination) |
First Light Date |
1973 |
Adaptive Optics |
None |
Images taken with the Nicholas U. Mayall 4-meter Telescope |
Link |
Images of the Nicholas U. Mayall 4-meter Telescope |
Link |
Videos of the Nicholas U. Mayall 4-meter Telescope |
Link |
Press Releases with the Nicholas U. Mayall 4-meter Telescope |
Link |
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Please help us to complete this page by emailing information and corrections to info@noirlab.edu.