Mid-Scale Observatories — Kitt Peak National Observatory

Kitt Peak National Observatory supports the most diverse collection of astronomical observatories on Earth for nighttime optical and infrared astronomy. Founded in 1958, MSO-KPNO operates three major nighttime telescopes and hosts the facilities of consortia which operate 22 optical telescopes and two radio telescopes. Kitt Peak telescopes are currently hosting major projects such as the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) and the NN-explore Exoplanet Investigations with Doppler spectroscopy (NEID). The observatory is located 90 km (56 miles) southwest of Tucson, AZ, in the Schuk Toak District on the Tohono O'odham Nation and has a Visitor Center open daily to the public.

Telescopes

List of telescopes currently available and supported by NOIRLab staff.

Instruments

Current instruments available at Kitt Peak.

Filters

Filters available for MSO-KPNO facilities. For a full list of filters at all NOIRLab sites, check our Filter Database.

Tenants

List of other telescopes and facilities housed at MSO-KPNO, with links to further information or to their host institutions.