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Duration

5 hours (including breaks)

Prices displayed do not include fees

About

This docent-led tour visits ALL THREE of our daytime tours at a reduced total price:

• The massive McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope
• The history-rich 2.1-meter Telescope
• The universe-mapping Nicholas U. Mayall 4-meter Telescope:

Experience the inside and outside of the iconic McMath Pierce Solar Telescope — the largest solar telescope in the world for over 50 years. Soon to be the Windows on the Universe Center for Astronomy Outreach funded by the National Science Foundation. The tour includes a Science on a Sphere audiovisual experience called The Sun, Our Living Star.

After your tour of McMath followed by a short break, you'll tour our 2.1-Meter Telescope - one of the earliest telescopes on Kitt Peak, used by celebrated astronomer Vera C Rubin to conduct landmark observations that established the existence of dark matter.

Following another break (sandwiches and other lunch items are available to purchase between tours) you'll tour the inside and outside of the Mayall 4-meter Telescope, which was the second-largest telescope in the world when it was built. It is currently host to the cutting-edge Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) the most powerful multi-object survey spectrograph in the world, currently creating the largest, most detailed-ever 3D map of the universe..

The program requires extensive walking. Most facilities visited are not wheelchair-accessible. Guests should wear comfortable walking shoes, and be able to walk the distances between the telescopes and climb stairs. Please let us know 24 hours in advance at kpvc@noirlab.edu or phone (520) 318-8726 if you require mobility assistance.

• Check in at the Visitor Center at least 15 minutes before the start of your tour.
• Strollers or carry-on infants are NOT permitted.
• Advance reservations are strongly recommended, but not required.
• Discounted tickets are available for seniors age 62 and older, groups of 8 persons or larger, active duty military with ID, and students with ID.
• Tohono O’odham Nation: This program is free to members of the Tohono O’odham nation (TON Tribal IDs will be checked upon arrival).
• ASTC Members: Tours are free for ASTC Members and immediate family members (ASTC Membership card will be checked upon arrival).

NOTE for international guests: Arizona State Route 86 has a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint. If you are visiting from outside the U.S. please bring your passports with you to avoid any potential difficulties.

More about McMath-Pierce solar telescope

For many years the largest solar telescope in the world, the McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope, was a triple instrument. In addition to the primary 1.61-meter mirror fed by the 2.03-meter heliostat, there are a pair of telescopes fed by 0.81-meter heliostats mounted beside the main heliostat.

The telescope is a 110-foot-tall, platform that supports a mirror that reflects light hundreds of feet down a concrete optical tunnel.

The McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope was decommissioned in 2017 and is being converted to the NOIRLab Windows on the Universe Center for Astronomy Outreach.

More about the 2.1-Meter telescope

The Observatory’s 2.1-Meter Telescope was one of the earliest Kitt Peak telescopes and is used for both imaging and spectroscopy. It is paired with the Coudé Tower, which enables spectroscopic work to be performed independently of the main telescope, effectively making the 2.1-meter telescope a dual observing facility. This telescope remains operational today!

More about the Mayall telescope

The Nicholas U. Mayall 4-meter Telescope, named for the former Director of the Kitt Peak National Observatory, was the second-largest telescope by aperture at the time of its first light in 1973. The eighteen-story telescope, located just below the summit of Kitt Peak, can be seen from over fifty miles away. Today it is the largest at Kitt Peak National Observatory. The facility is well known for discovering methane ice on Pluto.

The Mayall telescope currently hosts the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI), the most powerful multi-object survey spectrograph in the world. DESI is supported by the Department of Energy Office of Science. The DESI project and the operations of the survey are led by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. This telescope remains operational today!

Accessibility

Kitt Peak is just shy of 7,000 feet (2096 meters) above sea level at the summit. Please consider any personal health issues that could arise from the altitude or walking at this elevation, such as: decreased lung capacity, cardiac issues, or other issues with altitude. If you have health concerns, please consult your doctor before visiting us.

Our programs typically involve walking, standing, and climbing stairs. Working service animals are welcome.

For both the McMath and 2.1 Meter Telescope, the walk to the Visitor Center from the parking lot is about 45 meters (50 feet). The tour to the Nicholas U. Mayall 4-meter Telescope requires walking up almost two flights of stairs and requires 1/2 mile walking uphill.

The tour to the McMath AND to the 2.1-meter Telescope both require walking up almost two flights of stairs and requires 1/4 mile walking somewhat uphill.

Please let us know 24 hours in advance at kpvc@noirlab.edu or phone +1 520 318 8726 if you require mobility assistance. The Visitor Center’s ability to provide special accommodations is severely limited.

We look forward to exploring the Universe with you!