Kitt Peak is a mountain peak in Pima County, Arizona at about 2,088 m (6,850 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 27 km (17 mi) ENE of Sells.
Kitt Peak (O'odham: Ioligam) is a mountain in the U.S. state of Arizona, and at 6,883 feet (2,098 m) is the highest point in the Quinlan Mountains. It is the location of the Kitt Peak National Observatory. The radio telescope at the observatory is one of ten dishes comprising the Very Long Baseline Array radio telescope. The peak was named in English by county surveyor George J. Roskruge for his sister, Phillippa, who was the wife of William F. Kitt. On his 1893 Pima County Survey map, Roskruge spelled the name 'Kits'. At the request of the wife of George F. Kitt, the spelling was changed by decision in 1930. Kitt Peak is the second-highest peak on the Tohono O'odham Indian Reservation, and as such is the second-most sacred after Baboquivari Peak. Near the summit is I'itoi's Garden, which the nation's lore holds summer residence of its elder brother deity. The name Ioligam means...From the Wikipedia article “Kitt Peak”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Kitt Peak the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 62° (ENE) at the June solstice and 118° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 299° (WNW) in June to 243° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 81° in summer but only 35° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:31 AM | 90° E | 6:38 PM | 271° W | 58° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:22 AM | 62° ENE | 7:36 PM | 299° WNW | 81° | 14h 14m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:15 AM | 89° E | 6:25 PM | 271° W | 58° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:24 AM | 118° ESE | 5:27 PM | 243° WSW | 35° | 10h 03m |
Azimuth is measured clockwise from true north (90° = east, 270° = west). Computed for 2026; values change by less than a degree from year to year.
Golden hour & blue hour by month
Summits catch first and last light — alpenglow can turn rock pink or orange minutes before sunrise and after sunset while valleys stay in shadow.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:01 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:04 AM | 5:09 PM | 5:45 PM | 6:11 PM | 10h 17m |
| February | 6:45 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:43 AM | 5:40 PM | 6:13 PM | 6:38 PM | 11h 04m |
| March | 6:13 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:10 AM | 6:03 PM | 6:35 PM | 6:59 PM | 11h 58m |
| April | 5:33 AM | 5:58 AM | 6:31 AM | 6:23 PM | 6:56 PM | 7:21 PM | 12h 58m |
| May | 5:03 AM | 5:30 AM | 6:04 AM | 6:43 PM | 7:17 PM | 7:44 PM | 13h 47m |
| June | 4:53 AM | 5:21 AM | 5:57 AM | 6:59 PM | 7:35 PM | 8:03 PM | 14h 14m |
| July | 5:04 AM | 5:32 AM | 6:07 AM | 6:59 PM | 7:34 PM | 8:02 PM | 14h 03m |
| August | 5:26 AM | 5:52 AM | 6:25 AM | 6:38 PM | 7:12 PM | 7:37 PM | 13h 20m |
| September | 5:47 AM | 6:11 AM | 6:43 AM | 6:02 PM | 6:34 PM | 6:58 PM | 12h 23m |
| October | 6:06 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:03 AM | 5:22 PM | 5:55 PM | 6:20 PM | 11h 25m |
| November | 6:30 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:31 AM | 4:53 PM | 5:28 PM | 5:54 PM | 10h 32m |
| December | 6:53 AM | 7:20 AM | 7:57 AM | 4:48 PM | 5:25 PM | 5:52 PM | 10h 04m |
Local time (America/Phoenix), including daylight saving time. Golden hour runs from about −4° to +6° solar altitude, so the morning golden hour begins during blue hour, before sunrise.
Milky Way & night sky
From Kitt Peak, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.3 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 29° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 2° | — |
| February | 4:55 AM – 5:45 AM | 0.8 | 18° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:06 AM – 5:06 AM | 2.0 | 25° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:01 AM – 4:31 AM | 3.5 | 29° | SE → S |
| May | 11:00 PM – 3:50 AM | 4.8 | 29° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:14 PM – 3:34 AM | 6.3 | 29° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:11 PM – 2:11 AM | 5.0 | 29° | SSE → SW |
| August | 8:40 PM – 12:10 AM | 3.5 | 29° | S → SW |
| September | 7:56 PM – 10:06 PM | 2.2 | 26° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:16 PM – 8:06 PM | 0.8 | 18° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 3° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -18° | — |
Window when the galactic core is at least 10° high during astronomical darkness on the 15th of each month. Pick nights within a few days of the new moon. Plan exact nights with the Milky Way planner.
Estimated sky darkness: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.57 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show May as the clearest month (about 17% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (56%). June is the warmest month and December the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.
Average cloud cover (%)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °F | 80 | 85 | 91 | 98 | 106 | 111 | 108 | 105 | 104 | 100 | 90 | 82 |
| Low °F | 19 | 15 | 27 | 32 | 39 | 53 | 59 | 61 | 51 | 33 | 23 | 22 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.0 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 3.8 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 1.0 |
Monthly climatology for the surrounding 1° grid cell from NASA POWER (MERRA-2). Mountain sites can be colder and cloudier than the cell average.
Photography tips for this mountain peak
- Long lenses compress ridgelines; shoot the peak from several miles away to make it look massive.
- Afternoon thunderstorms are common in summer at high elevations — plan summit hikes for early morning.
- Snow on the summit holds detail best when you expose for the highlights and lift shadows later.
- Alpenglow lasts only a few minutes; set up and focus beforehand.
- Clouds around the summit add drama — a clear blue sky is often the least interesting condition.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
Season: Early summer keeps snow on the peaks with green valleys below; autumn adds aspen or larch color in many ranges.
Suggested gear: Telephoto lens, Lightweight tripod, Warm layers, Microspikes in shoulder seasons. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Kitt Peak, closest first.
Wilderness Area
Canyon
Wilderness Area
Waterfall
Natural ArchNatural ArchFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Kitt Peak?
What time is golden hour at Kitt Peak?
Where does the sun rise and set at Kitt Peak?
Can you see the Milky Way from Kitt Peak?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Kitt Peak?
How far is Kitt Peak from Sells?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, USGS GNIS / GeoNames, Wikipedia. Sun, moon and Milky Way times are computed by LWPhoto Atlas for 2026. Climate: NASA POWER. Sky darkness is a population-based estimate (Walker's law), not a measurement. See data sources & licenses.