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Research facility · Tucson · United States

Kitt Peak National Observatory

In research, Kitt Peak National Observatory stands highest in Physical Sciences (#1,370 of 21,541 worldwide), Astronomy and Astrophysics (#87 of 1,146 worldwide) and Physics and Astronomy (#612 of 3,663 worldwide), over all time.

kpno.noirlab.eduROR OpenAlex
World rank, all time
#2,082
of 42,892
Rank in United States
#585
of 8,685
Research works
2.2k
▼ 57% vs 2013–17
Citations
89k
40.3 per fractional work
Top-10% rate
23.6%
record average 16.5%
Open access
42%
world 28%

What is Kitt Peak National Observatory known for in research?

The fields where it stands highest, over all time, ranked among every institution above the floor in each field.

FieldWorld rankWhere that sitsTop-10% rateWorks
Physical SciencesDomain #1,370 of 21,541 28.6%2,087
Astronomy and AstrophysicsSubfield #87 of 1,146 31.0%1,159
Physics and AstronomyField #612 of 3,663 30.1%1,567
InstrumentationSubfield #37 of 135 29.0%252
EngineeringField #4,372 of 11,412 22.2%270

Each strip is that field’s whole ranked pool, with the notch where Kitt Peak National Observatory sits in it, in the colour of the band that rank falls in. The track under the rate is the rate itself: it carries no world mark, because the world rate differs by field (from about 6% to 21% in this record).

Field profile

Location quotient across every field it publishes in: outside the ring is more than an institution of this size would be expected to publish, inside it is less.

Computer Science: 0.26× its world share, 0 worksComputer ScienceEarth and Planetary Sciences: 5.94× its world share, 1 worksEarth and Planetary …Energy: 4.34× its world share, 0 worksEnergyEngineering: 0.92× its world share, 1 worksEngineeringEnvironmental Science: 0.09× its world share, 0 worksEnvironmental SciencePhysics and Astronomy: 31.64× its world share, 6 worksPhysics and Astronomy1×world share
more than its size predictsabout as predictedless

Rings at 0.5×, 1× and 2×. Widest outward: Physics and Astronomy, 31.6×. Every wedge is a field page.

Who are the top researchers at Kitt Peak National Observatory?

Ranked on the composite score, K. M. Strom, F. C. Gillett and Tod R. Lauer lead among researchers whose main affiliation is Kitt Peak National Observatory.

  1. 1 K. M. Strom United States · #43,875 worldwide 498 citations · 61 works
  2. 2 F. C. Gillett United States · #53,656 worldwide 474 citations · 49 works
  3. 3 Tod R. Lauer United States · #64,007 worldwide 895 citations · 109 works
  4. 4 Helmut A. Abt United States · #74,404 worldwide 534 citations · 84 works
  5. 5 Mark E. Everett United States · #126,879 worldwide 631 citations · 92 works
  6. 6 T. E. Armandroff United States · #157,702 worldwide 237 citations · 35 works
  7. 7 Knut Olsen United States · #185,865 worldwide 433 citations · 87 works
  8. 8 Joan Najita United States · #202,797 worldwide 445 citations · 79 works
  9. 9 K. M. Merrill United States · #254,484 worldwide 230 citations · 19 works
  10. 10 M. J. S. Belton United States · #260,013 worldwide 428 citations · 120 works
All ranked researchers at Kitt Peak National Observatory

Which keywords describe research at Kitt Peak National Observatory?

By fractional works in all years, weighted toward what it does more of than the world: Exoplanets, Stellar Astrophysics, Star Formation, Astronomical Instrumentation, Spectrograph, Magnetic Fields, Accretion Disks and Black Holes.

▲ more of its work than of the world’s◆ about the world’s share▼ less than the world’s

Size is fractional works in all years in the topics tagged with each word; colour is the word's share of this institution's work against its share of the world's. The 40 words are chosen for being large and distinctive. Each links to the topic it comes from most.

All 40 words, with their numbers
  1. Exoplanets333▲ 207×1 topic
  2. Stellar Astrophysics333▲ 207×1 topic
  3. Star Formation276▲ 136×2 topics
  4. Astronomical Instrumentation251▲ 223×1 topic
  5. Spectrograph251▲ 223×1 topic
  6. Magnetic Fields195▲ 86×3 topics
  7. Accretion Disks194▲ 109×2 topics
  8. Black Holes172▲ 54×3 topics
  9. Solar Wind158▲ 52×2 topics
  10. Turbulence152▲ 48×3 topics
  11. Molecular Clouds149▲ 140×1 topic
  12. Protoplanetary Disks149▲ 140×1 topic
  13. Cosmology129▲ 64×3 topics
  14. Dark Matter129▲ 31×2 topics
  15. Solar System Abundances128▲ 69×1 topic
  16. Terrestrial Planets128▲ 69×1 topic
  17. Galaxies126▲ 130×1 topic
  18. Stellar Populations126▲ 130×1 topic
  19. Coronal Mass Ejections126▲ 82×1 topic
  20. Solar Dynamics Observatory126▲ 82×1 topic
  21. Spectroscopy90▲ 13×8 topics
  22. Structural Health Monitoring83▲ 37×2 topics
  23. Radio Astronomy82▲ 103×2 topics
  24. Optical 3D Laser Measurement81▲ 188×1 topic
  25. Position-Sensitive Detector81▲ 188×1 topic
  26. High-Resolution Imaging70▲ 52×3 topics
  27. Solar Observations69▲ 160×1 topic
  28. Transits of Venus69▲ 160×1 topic
  29. Gravitational Waves65▲ 46×2 topics
  30. Supernovae59▲ 26×2 topics
  31. Nucleosynthesis59▲ 26×3 topics
  32. Adaptive Optics58▲ 131×1 topic
  33. Wavefront Sensing58▲ 131×1 topic
  34. Gamma-Ray Bursts53▲ 72×1 topic
  35. Neutron Stars53▲ 72×1 topic
  36. Galactic Center48▲ 35×2 topics
  37. X-Ray Spectroscopy46▲ 28×2 topics
  38. Event Horizon Telescope45▲ 63×1 topic
  39. X-Ray Astronomy45▲ 63×1 topic
  40. Electron Acceleration35▲ 17×2 topics

Which research topics does Kitt Peak National Observatory publish most on?

By volume in 2022–2025: Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies, Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies, Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena and Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations.

Stellar, planetary, and …1Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies: 1 fractional worksAstrophysics and Star Fo…0Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies: 0 fractional worksGalaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena: 0 fractional worksAstrophysical Phenomena and Observations: 0 fractional worksAstronomy and Astrophysical Research: 0 fractional worksGamma-ray bursts and supernovae: 0 fractional worksAstrophysics and Cosmic …0Astrophysics and Cosmic Phenomena: 0 fractional worksSolar and Space Plasma D…0Solar and Space Plasma Dynamics: 0 fractional worksAstronomical Observation…0Astronomical Observations and Instrumentation: 0 fractional worksAstro and Planetary Scie…0Astro and Planetary Science: 0 fractional works
Astronomy and AstrophysicsInstrumentationNuclear and High Energy PhysicsComputational Mechanics

Area is fractional works; colour is the subfield each topic belongs to.

  1. 1 Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies Astronomy and Astrophysics 1 works
  2. 2 Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies Astronomy and Astrophysics 0 works
  3. 3 Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena Astronomy and Astrophysics 0 works
  4. 4 Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations Astronomy and Astrophysics 0 works
  5. 5 Astronomy and Astrophysical Research Instrumentation 0 works
  6. 6 Gamma-ray bursts and supernovae Astronomy and Astrophysics 0 works
  7. 7 Astrophysics and Cosmic Phenomena Nuclear and High Energy Physics 0 works
  8. 8 Solar and Space Plasma Dynamics Astronomy and Astrophysics 0 works
  9. 9 Astronomical Observations and Instrumentation Computational Mechanics 0 works
  10. 10 Astro and Planetary Science Astronomy and Astrophysics 0 works

How open and international is its research?

Against the world’s own shares — the tick on each track. Both are shares of its output, so they sit on one scale and can be read against each other as well as against the world.

openly available42.1%not open57.9%

World: 28% of research is openly available.

with international co-authors20.3%domestic only79.7%

World: 19% is written across borders.

How has Kitt Peak National Observatory's research output changed?

Output in 2018–2022 was 57% lower than in 2013–2017.

1990200020102020
grewheldshrank

The same series as a ribbon — one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.

Other research institutions in Tucson

All research institutions in Tucson

Research measures only: rankings here say nothing about teaching, admissions or student experience. Comparable institutions and collaboration partners are in the interactive view on the map.