0.0 miles away
VERITAS
A ground-based gamma-ray observatory of four 12-metre reflectors at the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory, completed in 2007.
Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory
The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory's largest field station, on the summit of Mount Hopkins near Amado.
- Rank in Arizona
- #314of 727 ranked
- Overall score
- Score 41.3 out of 100medium confidence
- Category
- Observatory
The Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory is an astronomical observatory on the summit of Mount Hopkins, near Amado in southern Arizona. It is owned and operated by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and is that institution's largest field installation outside its main site in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Research at the observatory includes imaging and spectroscopy of extragalactic, stellar, solar system and extra-solar bodies, together with gamma-ray and cosmic-ray astronomy. Its Visitor and Science Center holds astrophysics exhibits and views over the surrounding Santa Rita Mountains, and is the starting point for guided tours of the MMT Observatory, for which advance reservations are required.
Where it is
Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory is a observatory near Madera Canyon, in Santa Cruz County. It is one of the observatories in this database, and appears in the statewide ranking of Arizona attractions.
How this ranking was reached
No official visitor count is published for Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory, so its score rests on public interest and tourism significance, and is capped below the level a measured attraction can reach. That is why the medium confidence above is not higher. The weighting is explained in full on the methodology page, and every axis is broken out under Facts and sources at the foot of this page.
Note on the data: No official visitor count is published for this attraction.
Mentioned in
- Arizona protects its night sky in one set of places and uses it in another — Eight Arizona attractions hold International Dark Sky Park status and all eight publish visitor counts; twelve working observatories publish none.
Sources
- Public interest: Wikimedia pageviews (en.wikipedia, human traffic), 2024
- Coordinates and designations: Wikivoyage(opens in a new tab)
- County: U.S. Census geography via FCC Area API, resolved from coordinates
- Official site: https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/facilities-technology/cfa-facilities/fred-lawrence-whipple-observatory-mt-hopkins-az(opens in a new tab)
Record last verified 2026-08-12.
More photographs
Burley Packwood, CC BY-SA 4.0 · licence(opens in a new tab) · source(opens in a new tab) 
Litlok, CC BY-SA 3.0 · licence(opens in a new tab) · source(opens in a new tab)
Nearby attractions
4.6 miles away
Madera Canyon
A canyon in the Santa Rita Mountains south-east of Tucson, within the Coronado National Forest and known for its migrating birds.
5.4 miles away
Santa Rita Mountains
A Madrean sky island range south-east of Tucson, rising to 9,453 feet at Mount Wrightson and containing Madera Canyon.6.2 miles away
Agua Linda Farm
A privately owned farm near Tubac that opens to the public for seasonal events such as a Garlic and Onion Festival.
6.3 miles away
Mount Wrightson
A 9,456-foot peak in the Santa Rita Mountains within the Coronado National Forest, named for the miner William Wrightson.
7.0 miles away
Tubac Presidio State Historic Park
The first park in the Arizona state system, preserving the ruins of the Presidio San Ignacio de Tubac.
Facts and sources
Place
- Category
- Observatory
- Destination
- Madera Canyon
- County
- Santa Cruz County
- State
- Arizona
Visitation
- Annual visits
- Not published
Ranking
- Overall score
- 41.3 / 100
- Visitation score
- No published count
- Popularity score
- 28.5
- Significance score
- 52.0
- Confidence
- medium
Visiting
- Official website
- cfa.harvard.edu(opens in a new tab)
- Coordinates
- 31.6752, -110.9524
- Last verified
- 2026-08-12