Kitt Peak

Our agenda called for us to visit Kitt Peak this morning and take one of the tours offered. We ended up staying all day and doing all three tours, each of a different telescope. The patch above represents the varied telescopes on the peak, and the life maze symbol of the Tohono O'odham Nation, on who's reservation land the peak and observatories stand. The peak is the Nation's second most sacred place, and consent to build here was granted only when the elders were taken to a telescope to show them the night sky, and what could be seen through a telescope. The Indians used the stars to guide their planting and seasonal and navigational activities, and so the stars were of great importance to them. When they saw, they said yes. Driving out southwest of Tucson, the peak is prominent in the foreground, and a white dome can be seen in the distance. Yep, we're going up there! First stop is the visitors center. We signed up for the 10:00 tour and joined it in progress. The first tour was of the Solar Telescope. When it was completed in 1962, it was the largest solar scope in the world, and it still is. The telescope is 500 ft. long, 300 ft underground. Usually used to monitor sun activity, it is also used for planets and stars at night. Today a team from Germany was monitoring Venus. This is sacred ground for the Tohono O'odham people, second only to the peak seen in the distance, Mt. Baboquivari. As you can imagine, up here at 6750 ft, the view is expansive. A squirrel was enjoying the view too. After the first tour we learned that each successive tour covered a different installation, so we traded in our single pass for an all day pass, $7.00 each. Our second tour was of the 2.1 meter optical telescope. Then we ate the picnic lunch we knew to bring from reading our guide books. The third tour was of the 4 meter telescope. The 4 refers to the diameter of the base mirror in the scope, which weighs 15 tons. This is a massive structure, with an observation level at 100 ft. and the dome rising up another 100 ft. Peeking through the observation windows, you are amazed at the massive size of the mirror housing and the mount which holds all the apparatus. And yet it can be moved by a .6 horsepower motor because it is balanced so perfectly. The ridge of the peak holds many telescopes of varying types and sizes. Many of the smaller ones are owned by consortiums of universities. The three large ones are operated by the National Optical Astronomy Observatory, and in turn The National Science Foundation. These are your tax dollars at work making discoveries, doing pure research, and developing technology that enhances everyday life. As is the universe, so the potential for knowledge is infinite.