Stargazing Secrets of Kitt Peak

Mercury, November/December 2000 Table of Contents

With little effort you can help bring the wonders of the universe down to Earth.

by Steven W. White, formerly of Kitt Peak National Observatory

"I get paid to show people Saturn in a telescope. I get to watch people's eyes light up and hear them say, "Wow!" I get to see misconceptions dispelled after a lifetime of comfortable, unchallenged residence. I get to plant the seed of curiosity in the minds of children. Sometimes, I get to see normal people transform into amateur astronomers."

Author Steven White describes his work at the Kitt Peak Visitor Center in southern Arizona. White and three other dedicated amateur stargazers conducted the Nightly Observing Program. They gave visitors an understanding of the astronomical distance scale. They showed people how to identify constellations. And if the weather was clear, they gave them spectacular views of the heavens through the Visitor Center's 16-inch telescope. Along the way, they had a lot of fun.

The Kitt Peak program has turned thousands of people into budding amateur astronomers. White says that Kitt Peak's success can be duplicated elsewhere. He outlines step-by-step how the Kitt Peak group organized and conducted their stargazing program, and how other amateur astronomers can learn valuable lessons from the Kitt Peak experience in order to start a program of their own.

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