Kitt Peak At Night - Photo Gallery 1

©2011 by Fred Espenak. All rights reserved.


In 1958, Kitt Peak was selected as the site for a national observatory. Its remoteness from bright lights, a high frequency of clear weather, minimum air turbulence, and moderate elevation (6,864 feet or 2,092 meters) make the mountain top ideal for astronomy. Located high above the Sonoran Desert in Arizona's Quinlan Mountains, Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO) is home to the world's largest collection of telescopes, including twenty-two optical and two radio telescopes. Scientists from around the globe use these facilities for research programs in extragalactic, stellar, solar, and planetary studies.

Below is a partial list of some of the major telescopes atop Kitt Peak. For additional information, see the official KPNO web site.

I've made many trips to Kitt Peak to use the McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope . This gave me the opportunity to shoot long time exposures at night and capture the graceful arcs of the stars and planets as they rise and set.

The following photo gallery presents a collection of night time and star trail photographs made from Kitt Peak. A second set of photos can be found in Kitt Peak at Night - Gallery 2.


Click on each thumbnail to see a larger image.






Kitt Peak National Observatory
Kitt Peak Domes
in Twilight

KP76-107w.jpg

Kitt Peak National Observatory
Kitt Peak At Night
KP80-143w.jpg

Mayall and Steward Observatory Domes
Steward & Mayall
Domes In Moonlight

KP80-221w.jpg

McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope
Solar Telescope
with Moon & Venus

KP80-139w.jpg

2.1-Meter Observatory
Star Trails Over
2.1-Meter

KP80-320w.jpg

McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope
Star Trails Over
McMath-Pierce

KP80-142w.jpg

Mayall and Steward Observatory Domes
Moonlight On
Steward & Mayall Domes

KP82-203w.jpg

Kitt Peak National Observatory
Kitt Peak
Twilight Silhouette

KP76-109w.jpg

2.1-Meter Observatory
2.1-Meter
In Moonlight

KP80-146w.jpg

McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope
Solar Telescope
In Moonlight

KP82-202w.jpg

McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope
McMath-Pierce
With Venus & Jupiter

KP80-164w.jpg

Mayall 4-Meter Telescope
Circumpolar Star Trails
& Mayall

KP83-422w.jpg

McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope
Star Arcs Over
Solar Telescope

KP80-161w.jpg

Kitt Peak National Observatory
Kitt Peak Domes
In Twilight

KP83-419w.jpg

Steward 90-Inch Bok Telescope
Night Visitors at
Steward Observatory

KP83-221w.jpg

Kitt Peak National Observatory
Polar Star Trails
Above Kitt Peak

KP80-232w.jpg

Kitt Peak National Observatory
Evening Comes to
Kitt Peak

KP80-922w.jpg

1.3-Meter McGraw-Hill Observatory
1.3-Meter &
Starry Night

KP83-324w.jpg

Kitt Peak National Observatory
Kitt Peak Domes
At Night

KP80-162w.jpg

McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope
Solar Telescope
At Night

KP83-202w.jpg






AstroPixels Photo Gallery Links

| Kitt Peak - 1 | Kitt Peak - 2 | Mayall 4-Meter | McMath-Pierce Solar |
 | 
 Kitt Peak At Night - 1 | 
 Kitt Peak At Night - 2 | 
 | 
Observatory Photo Index | 
 | 
AstroPixels Photo Index |