13 October 2026

More than 90 NSF NOIRLab volunteers welcomed visitors from the Tohono O’odham Nation to NSF Kitt Peak National Observatory to enjoy an evening of cultural performances and educational activities.

On the evening of 10 October 2026, U.S. National Science Foundation Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), a Program of NSF NOIRLab, hosted the highly anticipated Open Night event to celebrate the longstanding relationship between the astronomical community at Kitt Peak and its neighbors from the Tohono O’odham Nation and beyond.

More than 430 members of the Tohono O’odham community attended the event, which brought together cultural performances, food vendors, arts and crafts, and opportunities to learn about astronomy. Youth singing, elder-led Kwaliya dancing, and Waila music filled the Visitor Center patio as breaks in the clouds revealed a colorful sunset.

KPNO sits atop I'oligam Du'ag (Manzanita Shrub Mountain), a revered location in the homeland of the Tohono O’odham Nation. The Tohono O’odham have inhabited this area for centuries, and it holds deep historical and cultural significance for them. The selection of this site in 1958 was made possible by a lease agreement with the Tohono O’odham Nation, marking the beginning of a longstanding partnership.

In honor of this partnership, NOIRLab is committed to maintaining a good relationship with the Tohono O’odham community, providing educational and community engagement programs, and conducting operations with respect and acknowledgment of the Tohono O’odham Himdag (Way of Life). As stated in NOIRLab’s land acknowledgment, we honor their past, present, and future generations who have lived here for time immemorial and will forever call this place home.

The Open Night event was a special opportunity to express appreciation for the privilege of conducting science on I'oligam Du'ag and to share the exciting work of NOIRLab with the Tohono O’odham community. This event is traditionally held every 2–3 years, with the last event taking place in May 2024 and drawing in around 650 guests.

“It was wonderful to welcome more than 400 people to the Tohono O’odham Nation Open Night,” says Jacelle Ramon-Sauberan, the principal event organizer and Tohono O’odham Nation Education Development Liaison at NSF NOIRLab. “When we held this event in 2024, it was about welcoming our people back to the mountain. This year, it was about continuing that invitation, sharing our new education center Taṣogida Ki:, and highlighting how we are bridging culture and science.”

The events and activities at Open Night are designed to entertain and educate. This year’s highlights include performances by the Vavages Family Band, the Schuk Toak District Elder Dance Group, and the Santa Rosa Ranch School Traditional Singing Group. Visitors also enjoyed face painting, telescope tours, and Science on a Sphere shows that bridge culture and science in the new Taṣogida Ki: Center for Astronomy Outreach, the world’s first science center located inside of a working telescope. Staff from the Tohono O’odham Language Center, Tohono O’odham Nation Natural Resources Department, Saguaro National Park (U.S. National Park Service), Arizona Humanities, and Pima County Public Library–Many Nations Team also supported the event with informational tables and activities.

There were six Tohono O’odham food vendors who sold an assortment of contemporary-traditional foods throughout the night including red chili popovers, menudo, lemonade and sweet treats.

“Thank you to everyone who attended and made the gathering possible,” says Ramon-Sauberan. “As an O’odham, this work is deeply meaningful to me. It is about strengthening relationships, honoring our people’s enduring connection to this mountain, and creating a place where all who visit feel welcomed and connected.”

Unfortunately, the stars were hiding behind thick rain clouds for a majority of the night. During a brief, but intense squall of rain and wind, staff, volunteers, and guests retreated to different buildings. While this meant that stargazing was infeasible, the disruption gave guests the unique experience of seeing first-hand how weather conditions are handled at an observatory. Once conditions were safe, the event ended early and all staff and visitors departed the summit safely and orderly.

A huge thank-you is owed to those who volunteered their time and expertise at the event, including 90+ NOIRLab staff and their family members, as well as volunteers from the Tohono O’odham Language Center, Tohono O’odham Nation Natural Resources Department, Saguaro National Park (U.S. National Park Service), Arizona Humanities, and Pima County Public Library-Many Nations Team who provided informational tables and activities for the event.

NSF NOIRLab, the U.S. National Science Foundation center for ground-based optical-infrared astronomy, operates the International Gemini Observatory (a facility of NSF, NRC–Canada, ANID–Chile, MCTIC–Brazil, MINCyT–Argentina, and KASI–Republic of Korea), NSF Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), NSF Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), the Community Science and Data Center (CSDC), and NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory (in cooperation with DOE’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory). It is managed by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) under a cooperative agreement with NSF and is headquartered in Tucson, Arizona. 

The scientific community is honored to have the opportunity to conduct astronomical research on I’oligam Du’ag (Kitt Peak) in Arizona, on Maunakea in Hawai‘i, and on Cerro Tololo and Cerro Pachón in Chile. We recognize and acknowledge the very significant cultural role and reverence of I’oligam Du’ag to the Tohono O’odham Nation, and Maunakea to the Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiians) community.

Jacelle Ramon-Sauberan
Tohono O'odham Nation Education Development Liaison
Tel: +1-520-318-8726
Email: jacelle.ramon-sauberan@noirlab.edu

Josie Fenske
Public Information Officer
NSF NOIRLab
Email: josie.fenske@noirlab.edu