Kitt Peak at Night

I was up on Kitt Peak Friday night and got a chance to take a few pics. The Moon was waxing gibbous so it was pretty bright. Since real dark sky photography was out of the question due to the Moon, I took advantage of the moonlight to get some pics of some of the domes on the mountain since they were nicely illuminated.

First, the stars of Scorpius near a dome. Someone was playing with a green laser during this exposure. You can see it on the dome.

Next is the visitor's center telescope. If you visit Kitt Peak, this is one of the telescopes open to the pubic at night during the Nightly Observing Program.

Now we have a pic of the Big Dipper about to slide behind the 4 meter telescope dome.

This photo shows the McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope. This is looking toward Tucson and you can see some of the light pollution from Tucson reflecting off some low clouds.
Kitt Peak is a great place to be at night. Be sure to schedule a visit if you are ever in Tucson!

Reprinted with permission from the Half-Astrophysicist Blog.