Editing Kitt Peak National Observatory

{{Short description|United States astronomical observatory}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2019}}
{{Infobox Observatory
| image = Kitt Peak National Observatory in the Quinlan Mountains, 2023.jpg
| image_size = 315
| caption = Various telescopes at the Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO) in the Quinlan Mountains
| website = {{Official URL}}
| telescope1_name = KPNO&nbsp;[[Nicholas&nbsp;U. Mayall&nbsp;Telescope]]
| telescope1_type = 4.0 m [[Ritchey–Chrétien telescope|Ritchey–Chrétien]] [[reflecting telescope|reflector]]
| telescope2_name = [[WIYN Telescope]]
| telescope2_type = 3.5 m Ritchey–Chrétien reflector
| telescope3_name = [[McMath–Pierce solar telescope]]
| telescope3_type = Unobstructed solar reflector
| telescope4_name = [[KPNO 2.1 m Telescope]]
| telescope4_type = Fourth largest on the mountain
| telescope5_name = Coudé Feed Tower
| telescope5_type = [[Coudé spectrograph]]
| telescope6_name = NEID Solar Telescope
| telescope6_type = Obtains disk-integrated light for a spectrograph
| telescope7_name = Coronado Array
| telescope7_type = Three commercially produced [[Meade Instruments#Solar telescopes|Meade/Coronado solar instruments]] used for public education
| telescope8_name = [[RCT Consortium Telescope]]
| telescope8_type = Robotically controlled
| telescope9_name = [[WIYN 0.9 m Telescope]]
| telescope9_type = Galactic studies
| telescope10_name = SOLARIO remote telescope
| telescope10_type = [[Astrophotography]]
| telescope11_name = [[Warner and Swasey Observatory|CWRU Burrell Schmidt]]
| telescope11_type = Galactic studies
| telescope12_name = [[SARA Observatory]] 0.9m telescope<ref>{{Cite web |title=ABOUT |url=https://www.saraobservatory.org/about |access-date=2023-05-19 |website=SARA |language=en}}</ref>
| telescope12_type = Variable stars, undergraduate training
| telescope13_name = Visitor Center telescopes
| telescope13_type = Three instruments used for nightly public programs
| telescope14_name = [[Spacewatch 1.8 m Telescope]]
| telescope14_type = 72 in mirror scavenged from the Mount Hopkins [[MMT Observatory|MMT]]
| telescope15_name = [[Spacewatch 0.9 m Telescope]]
| telescope15_type = [[Spacewatch]]
| telescope16_name = [[Livermore Optical Transient Imaging System#Super-LOTIS|Super-LOTIS]]
| telescope16_type = Designed to look for visible signatures of GRBs
| telescope17_name = Auxiliary solar telescopes
| telescope17_type = Two 0.9 m instruments
| telescope18_name = [[Bok Telescope]]
| telescope18_type = Versatile
| telescope19_name = [[MDM Observatory]] 1.3&nbsp;m McGraw-Hill Telescope
| telescope19_type = Originally at Ann Arbor
| telescope20_name = [[MDM Observatory]] 2.4&nbsp;m Hiltner Telescope
| telescope20_type = Galactic surveys
| telescope21_name = [[ARO 12m Radio Telescope]]
| telescope21_type = One of two telescopes operated by the [[Arizona Radio Observatory]], part of [[Steward Observatory]]
| telescope22_name = [[Very Long Baseline Array|VLBA]]
| telescope22_type = One of ten radio-telescopes forming the VLBA
| telescope23_name = DIMM all-sky camera
| telescope23_type = monitors [[Astronomical seeing|seeing]]
| location = [[Kitt Peak]], Arizona, US
}}

<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:M1knpo4m1973.jpg|thumb|View of [[Crab Nebula|M1]] from the 4-meter telescope, recorded on chemical film (1973)]] -->
The '''Kitt Peak National Observatory''' ('''KPNO''') is a United States [[astronomy|astronomical]] [[observatory]] located on [[Kitt Peak]] of the [[Quinlan Mountains]] in the [[Arizona]]-[[Sonoran Desert]] on the [[Tohono Oʼodham Nation]], {{convert|88|km|mi|sp=us}} west-southwest of [[Tucson, Arizona]]. With more than twenty optical and two [[Radio telescope|radio telescopes]], it is one of the largest gatherings of astronomical instruments in the Earth's northern hemisphere.<ref>{{cite web
 | url = http://www.noao.edu/kpno/
 | title = Kitt Peak National Observatory
 | author =  National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO)
 | access-date = February 18, 2012
}}</ref>

Kitt Peak National Observatory was founded in 1958.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aUjkKuaVIloC&q=kitt+peak+national+observatory+founded&pg=PA209|title=A Companion to Astronomy and Astrophysics: Chronology and Glossary with Data Tables|last=Lang|first=Kenneth R.|date=2007-01-15|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|isbn=9780387333670}}</ref> It is home to what was the largest solar telescope in the world, and many large astronomical telescopes of the late 20th century in the United States.<ref name=":1" />

The observatory was administered by the [[National Optical Astronomy Observatory]] (NOAO) from the early 1980s until 2019, after which it was overseen by [[NOIRLab]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.science.org/content/article/us-telescopes-get-new-overseer|title=U.S. telescopes get a new overseer|last1=Clery|first1=Daniel|date=2019-10-31|website=Science|language=en|access-date=2019-11-18}}</ref>

In June 2022, the [[Contreras Fire]] led to the evacuation of Kitt Peak. The fire reached the summit at 2 a.m. on Friday, June 17. Four non-scientific buildings, including a dormitory, were lost in the fire.<ref name="NYT">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/19/us/wildfire-arizona-kitt-peak-observatory.html|title=Arizona Wildfire Destroys Observatory Buildings|work=New York Times|date=20 June 2022|access-date=20 June 2022}}</ref> 15 months later in September 2023, the observatory reopened to the public.<ref>{{cite news |last= Borla|first= Charles|date= 2023-09-23|title= Kitt Peak National Observatory reopens after COVID, wildfire|url= https://tucson.com/news/local/kitt-peak-national-observatory-tucson/article_4d295b58-5a22-11ee-a44d-af1720d1af5b.html|work= tucson.com|location= Tucson, Arizona|access-date= 2024-12-10}}</ref>

==General information==
[[Kitt Peak]] was selected by its first director, [[Aden B. Meinel]], in 1958 as the site for a national observatory under contract with the [[National Science Foundation]] (NSF) and was administered by the [[Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy]]. The land was leased from the [[Tohono Oʼodham]] under a perpetual agreement. The second director (1960 to 1971) was [[Nicholas U. Mayall]]. In 1982, NOAO was formed to consolidate the management of three optical observatories — Kitt Peak; the [[National Solar Observatory]] facilities at Kitt Peak and [[Sacramento Peak]], [[New Mexico]]; and the [[Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory]] in [[Chile]]. The observatory sites are under lease from the Tohono O'odham Nation at the amount of a quarter dollar per acre yearly, which was overwhelmingly approved by the Council in the 1950s. In 2005, the Tohono O'odham Nation brought suit against the National Science Foundation to stop further construction of gamma ray detectors in the Gardens of the Sacred Tohono O'odham Spirit I'itoi, which are just below the summit.<ref>{{cite web
|title=Astronomy development on another sacred mountain: Kitt Peak
|url=http://www.mauna-a-wakea.info/maunakea/H4_astrodev.html
|access-date=February 16, 2009
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080820093309/http://www.mauna-a-wakea.info/maunakea/H4_astrodev.html
|archive-date=August 20, 2008
|url-status=dead
}}</ref>

The largest optical instruments at KPNO are the [[Nicholas U. Mayall Telescope|Mayall 4 meter telescope]] and the [[WIYN Consortium|WIYN]] [[WIYN Observatory|3.5-meter telescope]]; there are also several two- and one-meter class telescopes. The [[McMath–Pierce solar telescope]] was for many decades<ref>The [[Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope]] is now the largest.</ref> the largest [[solar telescope]] in the world and the largest unobstructed reflector (no secondary mirror in the path of incoming light). The [[ARO 12m Radio Telescope]] is also at the location.

Kitt Peak is famous for hosting the first telescope (an old 91&nbsp;cm reflector) used to search for [[near-Earth asteroid]]s, and calculating the probability of an impact with [[Earth|planet Earth]].<ref>{{cite web
 |url         = https://spacewatch.lpl.arizona.edu/
 |title       = The Spacewatch Project
 |access-date  = December 13, 2017
}}</ref>

Kitt Peak hosts an array of programs for the public to take part in, including:<ref>{{cite web |url=https://visitkittpeak.org/tours-programs/ |title=Kitt Peak Visitor Center Tours, Stargazing, Programs, and Exhibits |access-date=June 2, 2022}}</ref>
* Daytime tours, speaking about the history of the observatory as well as touring a major research telescope.
* The Nightly Observing Program (NOP), which allows visitors to arrive in the late afternoon, watch the sunset, and use binoculars and telescopes to view the cosmos.
* Additionally, there is the Overnight Telescope Observing Program (OTOP). This program allows for a one-on-one, full night of observing using any of the visitor center's telescopes. Guests may choose to do [[DSLR]] imaging, [[Charge-coupled device|CCD]] imaging, or simply take in the sights with their eye to the telescope.

[[File:Iotw2314a - The Belt of Venus over the McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope.jpg|thumb|left|The McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope]]

Kitt Peak's Southeastern Association for Research and Astronomy (SARA) Telescope was featured in the WIPB-PBS documentary, "Seeing Stars in Indiana". The project followed SARA astronomers from Ball State University to the observatory and featured time-lapse images from various points around Kitt Peak.<ref>{{cite video
 | year = 2011
 | title = Seeing Stars In Indiana
 | url = http://vimeo.com/24060942
 | access-date = February 17, 2012
 | people=Kevin Grazioli (director)
 | editor=Grant Keller
<!-- producer: Kevin Grazioli; director of photography: Joe Vella; camera: Andrew Bissonnette; audio: Derek Cox; post_audio: Paul Schwarz; narrator: Travis -->
}}</ref>

A major project started in the 2010s is the [[Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument]]  (DESI) for the 4-meter Mayall telescope, for conducting spectrographic [[astronomical survey]]s of distant [[galaxies]] probing the [[Expansion of the universe|expansion history of the universe]] and the mysterious physics of [[dark energy]].<ref name="desiTDR">{{cite web |url=http://desi.lbl.gov/tdr/ |title=DESI Design Report  |editor-last=Bebek |editor-first=C.J. |date=2015-06-15 |access-date= 2016-02-12}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.livescience.com/61791-pencil-robots-may-solve-universe-mysteries.html |title=How 5,000 Pencil-Size Robots May Solve the Mysteries of the universe |first=Tereza |last=Pultarova |journal=Live Science |date=February 16, 2018}}</ref>

== History ==
[[File:Sign (7554301964).jpg|thumb|left|Sign at Kitt Peak National Observatory]]
The Kitt Peak National Observatory of the United States was dedicated on March 16, 1960.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal |doi = 10.1086/127502|title = General Notes|journal = Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific|volume = 72|pages = 146|year = 1960| issue=425 | bibcode=1960PASP...72..146. |doi-access = free}}</ref> At the dedication a 36-inch telescope and various facilities were ready.<ref name=":2" /> Construction was underway for the then planned 84 inch telescope.<ref name=":2" /> (i.e. the KPNO 2.1 meter)

The 84 inch (2.1 m) had its first light in September 1964.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.noao.edu/outreach/kptour/2_1_m.html|title=2.1-Meter Telescope|website=www.noao.edu|access-date=2019-11-22|archive-date=September 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190904000100/https://www.noao.edu/outreach/kptour/2_1_m.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Over the decades the mountaintop hosted many telescopes, and achieved a variety of discoveries.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|url=https://www.space.com/26898-kitt-peak-facts.html|title=Kitt Peak National Observatory: Discoveries & Programs|last1=Science|first1=Elizabeth Howell 2014-08-21T02:46:09Z|last2=Astronomy|website=Space.com|date=August 21, 2014 |language=en|access-date=2019-11-18}}</ref> Some examples of astronomical research KPNO contributed to include the study of [[dark matter]], [[Cosmic distance ladder|cosmic distances]], high-redshift galaxies, and the [[Boötes Void]].<ref name=":3" /> In addition, the observatory has engaged in variety of public outreach and education programs.<ref name=":3" />

In 2018, KPNO established plans for its ''Windows on the Universe Center for Astronomy Outreach.''<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=53106|title=NSF Funds New Center for Astronomy Outreach at Kitt Peak|website=www.spaceref.com|date=September 26, 2018 |access-date=2019-11-18}}</ref>

== Notable discoveries ==
[[File:DESI Installed on the Mayall 4-meter Telescope.jpg|thumb|left|The Mayall 4-meter telescope]]

In 1976 the Mayall Telescope was used to discover [[methane]] ice on [[Pluto]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6Hpi202ybn8C&q=mayall+telescope&pg=PA487|title=Babylon to Voyager and Beyond: A History of Planetary Astronomy|last=Leverington|first=David|date=2003-05-29|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=9780521808408}}</ref>

The 90&nbsp;cm Spacewatch telescope was used to discover the [[Kuiper belt]] body, [[20000 Varuna]] in the year 2000.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://spacewatch.lpl.arizona.edu/news/spacewatch-discovery-minor-planet-2000-wr106|title=Spacewatch Discovery of Minor Planet 2000 WR106 {{!}} SPACEWATCH®|website=spacewatch.lpl.arizona.edu|access-date=2019-11-10}}</ref> This was discovered by an astronomer noticing the slow moving object in a blink comparison.<ref name=":0" />

==Climate==
Due to its high elevation, the observatory experiences a [[subtropical highland climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Cfb]]) with a much cooler and wetter climate throughout the year than most of the [[Sonoran Desert]].

==Facilities==
[[File:Sunset at Kitt Peak.jpg|640px|thumb|center|A view of Kitt Peak showing most of the 19 research telescopes]]
<gallery mode="packed" widths="440px" heights="120px">
Image:Kitt Peak National Observatory - 380° panorama taken from behind the Warner & Swasey Observatory.jpg|380° panorama of Kitt Peak from the [[Warner and Swasey Observatory]]
Image:Kitt Peak National Observatory - 400° panorama taken from the Mayall 4-meter observatory.jpg|400° panorama from Kitt Peak's [[Nicholas U. Mayall Telescope|Mayall 4-meter Observatory]]
</gallery>

{{Weather box
|location = Kitt Peak, Arizona (Elevation 6,790ft)
|single line = Y
|Jan record high F =  71
|Feb record high F =  75
|Mar record high F =  78
|Apr record high F =  88
|May record high F =  90
|Jun record high F =  98
|Jul record high F =  98
|Aug record high F =  94
|Sep record high F =  91
|Oct record high F =  89
|Nov record high F =  87
|Dec record high F =  72
|year record high F = 98
|Jan high F = 49.6
|Feb high F = 50.8
|Mar high F = 54.3
|Apr high F = 61.7
|May high F = 70.4
|Jun high F = 79.5
|Jul high F = 80.4
|Aug high F = 78.0
|Sep high F = 74.9
|Oct high F = 66.9
|Nov high F = 56.8
|Dec high F = 50.0
|year high F = 64.4
|Jan low F = 33.0
|Feb low F = 33.6
|Mar low F = 35.8
|Apr low F = 41.3
|May low F = 49.2
|Jun low F = 58.5
|Jul low F = 60.8
|Aug low F = 59.8
|Sep low F = 57.0
|Oct low F = 48.6
|Nov low F = 39.5
|Dec low F = 33.7
|year low F = 45.9
|Jan record low F = -3
|Feb record low F = -2
|Mar record low F = 9
|Apr record low F = 15
|May record low F = 24
|Jun record low F = 33
|Jul record low F = 40
|Aug record low F = 42
|Sep record low F = 35
|Oct record low F = 20
|Nov record low F = 12
|Dec record low F = 6
|year record low F= -3
| precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation inch = 1.77
|Feb precipitation inch = 1.60
|Mar precipitation inch = 1.80
|Apr precipitation inch = 0.55
|May precipitation inch = 0.44
|Jun precipitation inch = 0.45
|Jul precipitation inch = 4.38
|Aug precipitation inch = 4.53
|Sep precipitation inch = 2.36
|Oct precipitation inch = 1.50
|Nov precipitation inch = 1.14
|Dec precipitation inch = 2.65
|year precipitation inch= 23.16
|Jan snow inch = 3.0
|Feb snow inch = 4.3
|Mar snow inch = 4.1
|Apr snow inch = 1.2
|May snow inch = 0.1
|Jun snow inch = 0.0
|Jul snow inch = 0.0
|Aug snow inch = 0.0
|Sep snow inch = 0.0
|Oct snow inch = 0.3
|Nov snow inch = 1.2
|Dec snow inch = 3.8
|year snow inch = 18.1
|source 1 = The Western Regional Climate Center<ref name="WRCC">{{cite web
| url =http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?az4675| title =Seasonal Temperature and Precipitation Information | access-date=December 6, 2014 | publisher =[[Western Regional Climate Center]] }}</ref>
|date=December 2014
}}

==See also==
* [[List of astronomical observatories]]
* [[List of radio telescopes]]
* [[List of telescope types]]
* [[Richard Green (astronomer)]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* [http://discovermagazine.com/2005/may/kitt-peak Discover Magazine article about Kitt Peak, May 2005]
* [http://www.noao.edu/outreach/kpvc/docent-news/training-2008.pdf Kitt Peak docent training book, 2008] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110608073715/http://www.noao.edu/outreach/kpvc/docent-news/training-2008.pdf |date=June 8, 2011 }}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* [https://visitkittpeak.org/ Kitt Peak National Observatory Visitor Center] – visiting and tour information
* [https://legacy.noirlab.edu/kpno/kpcam/ Kitt Peak Webcam]
* [http://cleardarksky.com/c/KittAZkey.html?1 Kitt Peak Clear Sky Chart] Forecasts of observing conditions
* [http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=31.942839972853083&lon=-111.610107421875&site=twc&unit=0&lg=en&FcstType=text NOAA general forecast for KPNO]
* [http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/forecast/wxtables/index.php?lat=31.95&lon=-111.61 NOAA detailed forecast for KPNO]
* [https://www-kpno.kpno.noirlab.edu/observer_info.shtml.html Observing At Kitt Peak – General Overview for Observers and Staff]

{{NOIRLab}}
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[[Category:Kitt Peak National Observatory| ]]
[[Category:Astronomical observatories in Arizona]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Pima County, Arizona]]
[[Category:Minor-planet discovering observatories]]
[[Category:Museums in Pima County, Arizona]]
[[Category:National Science Foundation]]
[[Category:Science museums in Arizona]]
[[Category:Sonoran Desert]]
[[Category:Tohono O'odham Nation]]
[[Category:University of Arizona]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Pima County, Arizona]]
[[Category:NOIRLab]]
[[Category:1958 establishments in Arizona]]
[[Category:Scientific organizations established in 1958]]