VISIT TO KITT PEAK NATIONAL OBSERVATORY Last updated: 3 May 2005

On 29 April 2005, my wife, Laurraine, and I had the opportunity for a second special visit the Kitt Peak National Observatory courtesy of the Indiana University College of Arts and Sciences (my alma mater).

After a pretty sunset, we went to the WIYN observatory. WIYN = Wisconsin-Indiana-Yale-NOAO. NOAO = National Optical Astronomy Observatory. We spent a very clear night looking through the WIYN 3.5m telescope (yes, I said "meter"; that's a 138-inch or 11.5-foot telescope!). We looked at several planetary nebulae, one face-on galaxy, and the Sombrero Galaxy (impressive!), some star clusters, and Jupiter and Saturn. We also observed a star's spectrum through a diffraction grating. With such a large aperture (and therefore a LOT of light-gathering power), the nebulae and galaxies were very bright to the eye.

Thanks to Jeff Stuckey of the College of Arts and Sciences, Dr. Kent Honeycutt (who was one of my astronomy professors at IU when I was an undergraduate), and the WIYN staff for another memorable experience!

Go to our 2005 KPNO Visit Gallery page. Click on an image to see a larger view.

Go to our 2002 KPNO Visit Gallery page.

Go back to the Observatory Visits page.