360-degree Night Panorama of Kitt Peak

The night sky appears over the Kitt Peak Observatory in a 360-degree panoramic view. The Milky Way from the Summer Triangle (left) to Orion (middle right) is arched over the lights of Tucson, some 70 km away, and Pheonix at the direct distance of over 170 km. Jupiter is the brightest object in the view, above Tucson light dome. Polaris, the North Star, is on the left above the largest optical telescope of the observatory, the Mayall with aperture of 4 meters and very high building. Click on the second photo to see a larger view of the Milky Way above Mayall telescope.