MnAstro Forums

Just saw this this morning. As someone who's been there, has a "namesake" observatory there and hopes to go back again, this is very concerning news.


https://earthsky.org/earth/kitt-peak-sh ... 05e8b64770


Update: The wildfire reached Kitt Peak National Observatory on Friday, June 17, 2022. Firefighters and NOIRLab (which runs the site) are still working to assess the damages. NOIRLab said on Friday afternoon:

Around 2 a.m. MST Friday morning, the fire, contrary to the expectations of the firecrews, crested the southwest ridge where the Hiltner 2.4-meter Telescope, McGraw-Hill 1.3-meter Telescope, Very Long Baseline Array Dish and UArizona 12-meter Telescope are located. Because of the ongoing nature of the situation, it is currently not possible to assess whether any damage to the structures has occurred. We will report any damage as soon as possible.


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I clicked on the link Merle provided. Here is an update from that report:
Good news! Wildfire Today reported late in the afternoon on June 18 that all of the 20+ telescopes at Kitt Peak National Observatory in southern Arizona survived the wildfire that struck the site this week. However, four non-scientific buildings burned. Read more from Wildfire Today.

I too have been at Kitts Peak and it's a real gem. I attended the evening program with my daughter a few years ago.

Update from the Tucson Sentinel posted yesterday:
https://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/re ... eras_fire/