TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Arizona's got sky islands in spades. But if you wind your way from the desert floor to the tree tops of most of them, that's all you'll find; trees and sky.
But not here. Kitt Peak's got them all beaten with a window beyond the blue.
"The ideal visitor is everyone and we certainly get people from all over and all backgrounds."
Peter McMahon's background is in studying the skies from other observatories before he made his home under the stars high above Southern Arizona.
His attraction to astronomy mirrors that of the guests he welcomes to this Visitor's Center every day.
"Where is this little blue speck that we live on going? Where is it in the grand scheme of things? It's deeply humbling. It's deeply inspiring," McMahon said.
On a recent trip to the top of the nearly 7,000 foot tall peak overlooking the Tohono O'odham Nation.
Peter let me know what's new that would bring people, young and old, to check out these massive telescopes.
"It weighs about as much as a Honda Civic... and it's just a magical experience to look through it. Things that would just be a slight little patch of fuzz in a lot of amateur level telescopes would be swirling vistas of galactic wonder looking through this," McMahon said.
From classic technology that helped with the Apollo moon missions to the lunar launches of the 21st century...
"We're gonna have what could be the most amazing experience looking at the moon in the world," McMahon said.
Kitt Peak is calling anyone with a desire for discovery.
"We're kind of within the body of what was a massive scientific tool, right?" I asked.
"Yeah, this used to be filled with different apperati," McMahon told me.
Spaces like the massive McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope that actually proved that water vapor exists on the sun will be reworked to invite guests to explore exhibit after interactive exhibit.
"That gives you the idea of the scale of this observatory," McMahon said, showing me the body of the massive structure.
A $4.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation helped shine a light on the possibilities here.
Like this interactive planetary and solar display that I had a little too much fun manipulating.
Donors as well as ticket sales from tour attendees will launch this new space fully later this year.
"We get snowbirds. We get families who want to come up here and be inspired about the universe hands-on," McMahon told me.
The "Windows on the Universe" addition to the McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope could open to the public later this year.
Visit www.kpno.noirlab.edu for more information
