Free Astronomy Magazine November-December 2024

NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2024 M embers of the public and media visit Kitt Peak National Obser- vatory in celebration of the Visitor Center’s 60 th anniversary on 27 Sep- tember 2024. [NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/ R. Sparks] agreement brought two cultures to- gether — one with ancient roots here in the southwest, the other with modern eyes on the Universe,” says Vivian Segundo, KPVC Gift Shop Assistant Manager and member of the Tohono O’odham Nation. “Since the beginning, the Visitor Center has aimed to showcase this relation- ship and educate visitors about the cultural significance that the night sky has for the Nation.” To connect people with astronomy at Kitt Peak, KPVC hosts daytime tours of three of the observatory’s largest telescopes: the Nicholas U. Mayall 4-meter telescope, the KPNO 2.1-meter telescope, and the Mc- Math-Pierce Solar telescope. These docent-led tours take visitors through the awe-inspiring science and storied past of these historic telescopes. Throughout the years KPNO has kept up with, and been an active participant in, the evolving land- scape of astronomy and astro- physics. When the observatory first opened, humans hadn’t even set foot on the Moon. In fact, the Apollo as- tronauts came to KPNO to train and locate their landing areas on the Moon’s surface. Some of the frontline science dis- coveries and milestones made pos- sible by the telescopes at KPNO are honored KPNO’s privilege of con- ducting research on I’oligam Du’ag (Kitt Peak), a mountain sacred to the Tohono O’odham Nation. To this day, visits and tours of the mountain are free for Nation mem- bers and native crafts are still sold in the Gift Shop. “The Tohono O’od- ham Nation united with Kitt Peak National Observatory for the educa- tion of the people, and their land