Window to the Stars
Kitt Peak National Observatory, the world’s largest collection of telescopes, is located high above the Sonoran Desert on the Tohono O’odham Reservation, 55 miles southwest of Tucson, AZ. Home to 22 optical and two radio telescopes, the observatory represents dozens of astronomical research institutions and is operated by the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO). The attraction is ideal for student group travelers interested in science and astronomy.
In 1958 Kitt Peak was selected as the site for the national observatory and was built through a grant by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The land was leased on a perpetual agreement from the Tohono O’odham tribe. The observatory with 23 telescopes is the largest, most diverse gathering of astronomical instruments in the world. The most famous telescope at Kitt Peak is the McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope, the largest solar telescope in the world. Kitt Peak is also famous for having the first telescope, an old 91 cm reflector, which was originally used to search for near-Earth asteroids.
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