Kitt Peak-Bok observatory
Image: Wikimedia Commons
On the same Arizona mountain as Kitt Peak National Observatory stands the Kitt Peak-Bok Observatory, home to the 90-inch (2.3 metre) Bok Telescope, the largest instrument operated solely by the University of Arizona's Steward Observatory.
About Kitt Peak-Bok Observatory
The Bok Telescope was dedicated on 23 June 1969 and was formally named after Professor Bart Bok, who directed Steward Observatory from 1966 to 1969, in a renaming ceremony on 28 April 1996.
Telescopes & research
The telescope offers two Cassegrain focal stations: an f/9 Ritchey-Chrétien setup for visible-wavelength observing, and an f/45 station for infrared work. It operates year-round, pausing only for Christmas Eve and a summer maintenance period, and remains an active research instrument on Kitt Peak.
Location & getting there
The Bok Telescope's dome sits on Kitt Peak in the Quinlan Mountains of the Arizona-Sonoran Desert, part of the same high-altitude, dark-sky complex as Kitt Peak National Observatory, operated by NOIRLab.
Visiting Kitt Peak-Bok Observatory
As part of the wider Kitt Peak site, visiting access generally runs through the main Kitt Peak National Observatory visitor programme; check the official NOIRLab website for current tour options before you travel.
See your named star from here
A telescope built to work at both visible and infrared wavelengths, like the Bok, is well suited to tracking down faint, precise coordinates, exactly the kind you get when you name a star with Star Register. Find your star's position in our star catalogue.
Opening hours and public-visit programs vary by season. Check Google Maps for current times before you travel.
