The Kitt Peak National Observatory ( KPNO ) is an observatory in the United States that studies the stars . It can be found 88 kilometers southwest of Tucson . The Kitt Peak National Observatory ( KPNO ) is a United States astronomical observatory located on 2,096 m ( 6,880 ft ) Kitt Peak of the Quinlan Mountains in the Arizona-Sonoran Desert on the Tohono O'odham Nation , 88 kilometers ( 55 miles ) southwest of Tucson .