National Science Foundation to Fund New Windows on the Universe Center for Astronomy Outreach at Kitt Peak National Observatory

A new $4.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) has been awarded to the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) for the development of a new “Windows on the Universe Center for Astronomy Outreach” at NSF’s Kitt Peak National Observatory. Located in the McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope facility, an iconic structure that was once the world’s largest solar observatory, the center will provide the public with a new way to experience the cutting-edge research being carried out at Kitt Peak and NSF’s other astronomy facilities around the globe, including ground-based optical, radio, solar, and gravitational wave facilities. New Windows on the Universe for the Public The grant will fund the renovation and transformation of the McMath-Pierce into an astronomy visualization and presentation center with potentially global reach. The center will feature data visualization systems, interactive exhibits, and a simulated telescope control room, which will give visitors the virtual experience of being at a telescope and participating in research carried out at NSF facilities around the world, including those in Hawaii, Chile, and the South Pole. To highlight its location in the McMath-Pierce facility, the Center will feature special exhibits on the history of solar astronomy. The grant ...