Starry, Starry Nights
Southern Arizona's clear skies and the absence of lights in the surrounding desert make the night sky here as brilliant as anywhere on earth. This fact has not gone unnoticed by the world's astronomers -- southern Arizona has come to be known as the Astronomy Capital of the World.
Many observatories are open to the public, but you'll need to make tour reservations well in advance. In addition to the ones listed below, the Flandrau Science Center & Planetarium in Tucson offers public viewings. In Flagstaff, there are public viewing programs at the Lowell Observatory.
The Smithsonian Institution Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory (tel. 520/670-5707; http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/facilities/flwo, atop 8,550-foot Mount Hopkins, is the largest observatory operated by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. Six-hour tours of the observatory are offered mid-March through November on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and cost $7 for adults, $2.50 for children 6 to 12; no children 5 and under are allowed. Reservations are required and should be made 4 to 6 weeks in advance. No food is available here, so bring a picnic lunch. The observatory's visitor center (Mon-Fri 8:30am-4:30pm; closed federal holidays) is located on Mount Hopkins Road, near Amado (take exit 56 off I-19, turn left and then right on E. Frontage Rd. and drive south 3 miles, and turn left on Elephant Head Rd. and then right on Mount Hopkins Rd.).
Located in the Quinlan Mountains atop 6,875-foot Kitt Peak, Kitt Peak National Observatory [ST] (tel. 520/318-8726; www.noao.edu/kpno) is the largest and most famous astronomical observatory in the region. This is the area's only major observatory to offer public nighttime viewing. Day visitors, however, must be content with a visitor center (daily 9am-3:45pm), museum, and guided tour. Tours are held at 10am, 11:30am, and 1:30pm. Admission to the visitor center is free; tours are $4 for adults ($7 for an all-day pass) and $2.50 for children ages 6 to 12. The observatory is 56 miles southwest of Tucson off Arizona 86. Nighttime stargazing (reservations required; call 4-8 weeks in advance) costs $39 for adults; $34 for students, seniors, and children 17 and under. The visitor center is closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day.
The Mount Graham International Observatory near the town of Safford offers 7-hour tours that include lunch but do not include viewing through the observatory's telescopes. Tours are arranged through Eastern Arizona College's Discovery Park Campus, 1651 W. Discovery Park Blvd., Safford (tel. 928/428-6260; www.eac.edu/discoverypark.com). The tours are held on Saturdays between mid-May and mid-November, and cost $40 (reservations are required).
Situated on the grounds of the privately owned Vega-Bray Observatory, an amateur observatory with six telescopes and a planetarium, the Astronomer's Inn [ST], 1311 S. Astronomers Rd., Benson, AZ 85602 (tel. 520/586-7906; www.astronomersinn.com), is one of the most unusual lodgings in the state. The inn provides guests with not only a bed for the night, but a chance to observe the night sky and the sun through the observatory's telescopes. Viewing programs range from $45 to $180 per night. The inn is located 4 miles outside Benson; call for directions. Rates are $105 to $149 for a double.
