Arizona's Kitt Peak National Observatory Has The Largest Collection Of Telescopes In The World
By Katie Lawrence|Published June 13, 2020
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Katie Lawrence
Author
Katie Lawrence is a Southeast Texas native who graduated 18th in her high school class with a GPA of 4.25. She attended college in the Houston area and began writing for OnlyInYourState in 2015.
Today, Katie writes, edits, and performs several other tasks for OnlyInYourState and has never been more passionate about a job before. Outside of work, you can likely find her curled up on with a hot cup of coffee, practicing yoga, baking, or exploring the beautiful Lone Star State (in particular, the vast and mystical West Texas desert).
Arizona is not only home to some of the darkest skies in the nation, but the largest collection of optical telescopes on earth, as well. You’ll find them at Kitt Peak National Observatory near Tucson, an incredible, bucket list-worthy place.
Please note, Kitt Peak National Observatory is temporarily closed.
Located atop the Quinlan Mountains on the Tohono O'odham Nation, Kitt Peak National Observatory boasts the largest collection of optical telescopes on Earth.
There are a whopping 24, all of varying size and magnitude, plus two radio telescopes.
Among Kitt Peak's claims to fame are the very first telescope used to search for near-Earth asteroids, in addition to calculating the probability of an impact with our home planet.
Take a look around, gain some insightful knowledge, and join informative daytime tours and nighttime stargazing programs.
Some truly incredible discoveries have been made at Kitt Peak, including methane ice on Pluto, the Kuiper Belt body known as 2000 Varuna, and many thousands of asteroids.
The observatory has also contributed to the study of dark matter, cosmic distances, high-redshift galaxies, and the Boötes void, among other research topics.
We'd be remiss not to mention the striking panoramic mountaintop views sure to leave you awestruck.
