Oh WOW! This was really cool! Kitt Peak is a 6800 foot mountain about 45 miles west of Tucson and has 26 telescopes located on it. They offer a nightly program where one can go up and actually observe the stars. John and I signed up for this about a week and a half ago and have been looking forward to it ever since. We arrived shortly before 5 PM on Monday night. There was still a lot of snow up there and the temp hovered around 40°. We received a box lunch and preliminary information about the mountain top -- like no lights! As a large group, we watched the sun set and learned about some of the telescopes located up there. Most are university owned and operated. We went inside one dome that has a remotely operated telescope. The folks in FL were watching us while we watch them maneuver the telescope.
They divided the large group into 3 smaller groups of 12. I think we had the best! Our guide, Bob, was very knowledgeable about the universe and was able to explain a lot of it to us as well as pointing out constellations, nebulas, stars, planets etc. We learned how to use a star chart and then located the actual constellations like Orion, the big dipper, little dipper, Gemini, Polaris, Leo, and more! Using the telescope we watched Jupiter and 3 of its moons. We were given binoculars and star gazed with them and then we spent over an hour looking at the wonders of the universe. Telescopes have to be at the same temperature as the air around them to prevent distortions, so we were out doors or in a roofless room for a good part of the evening. We did have some warm classroom time as well. We were on the mountain for over 5 hours and never got bored.
In order to keep the lights from our cars from bothering the telescopes, we all departed en-mass with no headlights for about a mile down the hill.
This will be an event we won't soon forget! I would recommend it to anyone coming out to Tucson! You have to make reservations about 2 weeks in advance but it is really worth it!
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