Kitt Peak At Night - Photo Gallery 2

©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 1.


Click on each thumbnail to see a larger image.






McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope
Full Moon &
Solar Telescope

KP83-325w.jpg

Mayall 4-Meter Telescope
Twilight Glow on
Mayall Dome

KP84-101w.jpg

McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope
Polaris &
McMath-Pierce
Solar Telescope

KP83-332w.jpg

2.1-Meter Observatory
2.1-Meter Dome
& Planets

KP80-148w.jpg

Mayall and Steward Observatory Domes
Busy Night at
Steward and Mayall

KP83-312w.jpg

Kitt Peak National Observatory
Majestic Star Trails
Over Kitt Peak

KP80-322w.jpg

McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope
Planets Over
McMath-Pierce

KP80-144w.jpg

Mayall and Steward Observatory Domes
Moonlite Night At
Steward & Mayall

KP80-223w.jpg

McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope
Rising Star Trails
Above McMath-Pierce

KP80-230w.jpg

Kitt Peak National Observatory
Colorful Twilight on
Kitt Peak

KP80-137w.jpg

Kitt Peak National Observatory
0.9-Meter Dome &
Star Trails

KP80-214w.jpg

Mayall 4-Meter Telescope
4-Meter Dome
In Twilight

KP83-416w.jpg

Mayall 4-Meter Telescope
Mayall 4-Meter &
Polar Star Trails

KP83-437w.jpg

Kitt Peak National Observatory
Streaking Star Trails
Over KPNO

KP82-207w.jpg

McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope
Crescent Moon &
McMath-Pierce

KP80-165w.jpg

McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope
Circumpolar Star Trails
& McMath-Pierce

KP83-452w.jpg

McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope
McMath-Pierce &
Orion Star Trails

KP83-216w.jpg

Mayall and Steward Observatory Domes
Steward & Mayall
On Moonlite Night

KP82-205w.jpg

Kitt Peak National Observatory
Baboquivari Peak
At Night

KP76-111w.jpg

Mayall 4-Meter Telescope
Big Dipper &
Mayall Dome

KP80-147w.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 |