I think everyone should do this at least once. It was pricey ($45/person with military discount), but we had a great evening. After doing this, I would recommend: 1. Wear pants, bring a jacket, and in the winter bring your warmest clothes! We went in May, and did fine with jeans and a fleece jacket. But I can see how... More

Joining the Nightly Observer Program during April was a fun chance to have professional astronomers help show the interested folks assembled a little glimpse of their world. Sure, it would have been nice to have access to a larger telescope, but no one is easily going to have access to something larger, in such a fantastic viewing location. It would... More

This was a great visit for someone who is not an amateur astronomer. It is very beautiful to be there as the day ended. We spent some time getting oriented and watching films while we had dinner (a pretty forgettable sandwich, but that's okay). We watched the sunset and spent time learning how to use a star chart and pick... More

Disappointing amateur presentations. Groups are large, so there is a lot of sitting around time in the cold till you see something. 16 inch telscopes is about what I would expect to use at my local community college. Not worth the 3 hour drive from Phoenix. The Titan missile site south of Tuscon is worth the drive.

My wife and I booked the NOP in advance from home (Denmark). The observatory is located 'on top of Arizona' a good 1,5 hour drive from Tucson. Watch out for rush hour traffic out of town though, you don't want to be late for the program! Seeing the sunset from the top was spectacular, and who would have known that... More

We think that the evening program at Kitt Peak National Observatory is one of the best opportunities to understand the night sky and have been twice - once with children and once with only adults. Works well either way. It is located in an area of natural beauty - on top of a mountain, amid multiple mountain ranges in the... More

We were traveling with our daughter's young family from the East Coast, so we stopped for a short daytime visit. We enjoyed walking around the area, but also were able to look at the sun through the giant telescope with the help of a patient docent. Very educational. Next time the adults will take the night tour.

I was expecting more for the money. What you get is an OK box dinner to eat while watching a strange TV show not related to astronomy. Group divides into 3 subgroups which get different experiences, and it is hard to know ahead of time which is the better one to volunteer for. Some people clearly had positioned themselves to... More

We were unable to visit for the evening tour because we waited until the week of our visit to call. Call a month ahead of time to schedule the night tour. This place is amazing and we wished we were astronomers so we could go back and spend the night! The tour guide for our group used to be a... More