Don’t Miss the Meteor! | Kitt Peak National Observatory

Don’t Miss the Meteor! | Kitt Peak National Observatory

A blazing meteor pops into the sky above the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), a Program of NSF NOIRLab. You can see an image of the sky without the meteor here. To the left is the dome of the WIYN 0.9-meter Telescope, and to the right is the WIYN 3.5-meter Telescope. The WIYN telescopes are part of a partnership between Indiana University, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Pennsylvania State University, Princeton University, NSF NOIRLab, and NASA.

Meteors are normally visible in the sky for just a few seconds, so it takes skill and a bit of luck to capture one on camera. Events like meteors, also known as shooting stars, happen a lot closer to Earth than you might think. Meteors typically become visible to the naked eye about 75–120 km (47–75 miles) above Earth’s surface. They usually disintegrate as they travel through the atmosphere at altitudes of 50–95 km (31–59 miles). For reference, the drive to NSF Kitt Peak National Observatory from Tucson, Arizona, is about 90 km (55 miles) and takes a little over an hour. 

This image also captures the constellations Orion (the Hunter, right) and his ‘sidekick’ Canis Major (the Greater Dog, left). Three red emission nebulae of the Orion molecular cloud complex are vividly captured in this photo: The Orion Nebula below Orion’s belt, Barnard’s Loop around Orion’s lower half, and the Lambda Orionis Ring around his head. 

Petr Horálek, the photographer, is a NOIRLab Audiovisual Ambassador.

Learn more about Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO): https://kpno.noirlab.edu/

Credit: KPNO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/P. Horálek (Institute of Physics in Opava)
Release Date: June 3, 2026

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