The WIYN Telescope, a 3.5-meter instrument employing many technological breakthroughs, is the newest and second largest telescope on Kitt Peak. The WIYN Observatory (pronounced “win”) is owned and operated by the WIYN Consortium, which consists of the University of Wisconsin, Indiana University, Yale University, and the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO). Most of the capital costs of the observatory, which amounted to $14 million, were provided by these universities, while NOAO, which operates the other telescopes of the Kitt Peak National Observatory, provides most of the operating services. This partnership between public and private universities and NOAO is the first of its kind. The universities benefit from access to a well-run observatory at an excellent site, and the larger astronomical community served by NOAO benefits from the addition of this large, state-of-the-art telescope to Kitt Peak’s array of telescopes.

The WIYN 0.9m Observatory supports the current and future research and educational needs of its scientists by operating and maintaining the 0.9m facility at its highest standards. The 0.9m Observatory strives to develop opportunities to enable frontier astrophysical research. Having a research grade facility available to graduate and undergraduate students, alike, enables students to connect directly with science.

Observatory postal address:

WIYN Observatory
950 N. Cherry Ave.
Tucson, AZ 85719

Telephone: (520) 318-8396