Kitt Peak National Observatory

Kitt Peak National Observatory, astronomical observatory, located in Arizona southwest of Tucson, at an elevation of about 2,065 m (about 6,770 ft). The Kitt Peak National Observatory is part of the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO), which also includes observatories in Chile, in Hawaii, and in New Mexico, and is funded by the National Science Foundation. The observatory began operating in 1960 and is administered by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy. Among the many telescopes at Kitt Peak is the McMath solar telescope, with a 59-in (1.5-m) diameter main mirror and a 300-ft (91.5-m) focal length. Reflecting telescopes include a 150-in (3.81-m) instrument completed in 1973. The Arizona Radio Observatory operates a 39-ft (12-m) diameter radio telescope here. The University of Arizona, the University of Michigan, and Dartmouth College also operate telescopes here.