ann25023 — Announcement

Media from Arizona and beyond are invited to attend the opening of Kitt Peak National Observatory’s new Windows on the Universe Center for Astronomy Outreach, funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation

5 December 2025

It is our great pleasure to invite you to the grand opening of the Windows on the Universe Center for Astronomy Outreach (Windows Center) on 16 December from 10 a.m.–3 p.m. MST. The event will take place at the U.S. National Science Foundation Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona, a Program of NSF NOIRLab. Members of the public will have special free access on the opening day if they book here in advance. 

Windows Center is a brand new astronomy center located inside the recently-retired McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope, which has been retrofitted with interactive exhibits and educational programs focused on astronomy funded by NSF.

The majority of funding for the Windows Center comes from NSF, with the remaining part raised from private donations.

The McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope was operational from 1962–2017, during which it was the largest solar telescope in the world, uncovering previously unknown aspects of the Sun like finding water vapor on the Sun, mapping its magnetic field, and helping the Apollo astronauts train for missions to the Moon.

Visitors to Windows Center will gain a deeper understanding of how the history of astronomical research has led to humanity’s current understanding of the cosmos, and leave feeling a sense of connection to the Universe.

The opening celebration will kick-off at the Windows Center on the summit of Kitt Peak at 10 a.m. MST and continue until 3 p.m. MST. The AURA President Matt Mountain, AURA Vice President for Science Heidi B. Hammel, the NOIRLab Director Patrick McCarthy, and Kitt Peak Visitor Center Manager Peter McMahon will be available for interviews. 

To express interest in attending this event, please fill out this form.

If you have any questions please visit our media visits page or contact us using the information below. We look forward to seeing you there!

More information 

NSF NOIRLab, the U.S. National Science Foundation center for ground-based optical-infrared astronomy, operates the International Gemini Observatory (a facility of NSF, NRC–Canada, ANID–Chile, MCTIC–Brazil, MINCyT–Argentina, and KASI–Republic of Korea), NSF Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), NSF Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), the Community Science and Data Center (CSDC), and NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory (in cooperation with DOE’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory). It is managed by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) under a cooperative agreement with NSF and is headquartered in Tucson, Arizona. 

The scientific community is honored to have the opportunity to conduct astronomical research on I’oligam Du’ag (Kitt Peak) in Arizona, on Maunakea in Hawai‘i, and on Cerro Tololo and Cerro Pachón in Chile. We recognize and acknowledge the very significant cultural role and reverence of I’oligam Du’ag to the Tohono O’odham Nation, and Maunakea to the Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiians) community.

Links

Contacts

Lars Lindberg Christensen
Head of Communications, Education & Engagement
NSF NOIRLab
Email: lars.christensen@noirlab.edu 

Josie Fenske
Public Information Officer
NSF NOIRLab
Email: josie.fenske@noirlab.edu