Mid-Scale Observatories — Kitt Peak National Observatory
We are currently not hosting public visitors at the summit or base facilities. Given the continuously evolving nature of the pandemic, we currently do not have a reopening date. When a date is available we will share it on our website and social media. The timeline may be different for each site.
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.
Updated on March 28, 2022, 4:50 pm