Kitt Peak Photo Tour: The Sequel

Yesterdays post was about Kitt Peak National Observatory outside Tucson.

If you've never heard of it, here's the very basic description from our Tucson 2for1 Passport Book:

This a better explanation of Kitt Peak from the onsite signs:

Before starting this post I looked back over yesterdays pictures and was actually kinda disappointed.   I'm usually happy with my photos but those ones really didn't reflect what we saw on the drive to the mountain peak, especially after how much I was raving about the scenery.  

Hopefully todays shots give you a better idea of how cool this place is.

Closer to the peak of the mountain we started seeing the bright white spaceship-like buildings that house all the different telescopes.

They look teeny weeny from the base of the mountain so their size catches you off guard.

In this shot My Fella looks pretty close in height to the monsterscopes, maybe half the size.

Until we walk up the hill...

And he stands right beside it.

We found out later that the monsterscope stands 187 feet.  

Here's my perspective shot, standing in front of the worlds largest solar telescope, which is 100 feet high.

Since we just did our own thing and didn't take an actual tour, we couldn't get past the plexiglass so it was hard to take clear interior shots, but here's a pic of one of the smaller telescopes.  

Still pretty huge, with a mirror diameter of 2.1 metres.

Finally some random shots of Kitt Peak and the grounds.

We took this shot right before we left.  In the background you can see the gorgeous windy road that takes you up to the observatory.

FYI:  Southern Arizona weather has been wonderful so far, sunny and 30C every single day.  Kitt Peak is always 10 to 15 degrees cooler and can get very chilly at night but we had a gorgeous day to take it in.  And our only cost was gas since the self-guided walking tour is free.  

If we return next year, we'll pay for the night-time tour which includes supper and an evening with an astronomy guide.

Comments

[Mave]

The tour would be very interesting!!

[John Calypso]

I probably should know this - did you tow a car or???

Been to Kit Peak in the middle of summer one year - quite refreshing in that case ;-)

You two looked relaxed and as if you might be having fun - cool!

[kelsi]

Mavey - why don't you and the Paw-In-Law stop here on your way home from Mex and take the tour?
By the way, we're checking your blog everyday, waiting for some pics of Lo De Marcos.

[kelsi]

Calypso - yup, we have our beat up little cavalier here with us. Just makes life easier for day trips and groceries.
Did you take the guided day tour at Kitt Peak?

[John Calypso]

Actually in the 80's (as in the 1980's) I did some programing on the tracking system at Kitt Peak. Was there in the dead of summer - I remember that it was nearly 120F one day down in the flat lands.

[kelsi]

Senor C - that's 49C - HOLY MOLY!
But very cool that you were part of things on the mountain. Those monster telescopes are pretty impressive.

[John Calypso]

Forgot you Canadians work in C - sorry. Yes very hot - one of those you can fry eggs on the street kind of days - I could not breath sucking in that hot air. But this time of year - the best.

Now that you and yours are snowbirds - chasing good weather has got to be the best part of "retirement".

It is on my mind as I type this in 59 F (15 C) temps - turns out cement block is NOT a great insulator. I see Puerto Escondido in our future....

[Brenda]

When we were staying in Tucson a few years ago, someone told us that the observatory is why Tucson is not lit up brightly at night. Not a lot of streetlights, etc. in the residential areas so that the night is dark for the observatory. Kind of a neat trivia thing.

[kelsi]

Brenda - we actually heard that too from an old US army fella we met here. He pointed out that a lot of the Tucson area suburbs have no streetlights for that very reason. I imagine it also saves the city a LOT of money in the long run.