Scopin' Out the Solar Flares

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We have lived in Tucson for 3 years now and though Jeff has been to Kitt Peak with an astronomy class, we had yet to go there together. So, we decided to go. Kitt Peak National Observatory is a short jaunt east of Tucson, on the Tohono O'odham Nation. Depending on the time of day, we can actually see the observatory from our neighborhood; a tiny white dot beaming on the top of the mountains off in the distance. If you didn't know what you were looking for you would never realize it was there.

During the day you obviously can't view the night skies. However, the world's largest solar telescope is located at the observatory. There is a viewing platform that allows you to take a safe gander at the star that keeps us alive, viewing its glory and flares without harming your retinas. You can also wander into most of the telescopes too and check them out, but you can't view anything until nighttime. There are programs where you can do nighttime viewing and also one where you get to spend the night and get photographic images of what you see in space! That trip is on our list! We've got to save up for that one--it's pretty pricey but I'm sure it's worth every penny spent.

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Photos

the sun, as we saw through the telescope
(notice the flares on the right side:)

Comments

[Connie]

"Far Out!"
I'm so jealous! Can we go there when we visit in October?

[Nichole]

Group
Hey, do they allow up to 4 ppl at a time for that night viewing. I want to do it sooo bad.