National Optical Astronomy Observatory
The National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO) is the US public institution for the operation of ground-based observatories in the optical and near-infrared range for nighttime astronomy. NOAO is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) with funding from the National Science Foundation .
NOAO operates telescopes at the Kitt Peak National Observatory and is involved in the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory and the Gemini Observatory .
NOAO is the main gateway for many US astronomers to large telescopes and is open to all professional astronomers for observation requests. In addition, private observatories with restricted access, such as the Keck Observatory, have traditionally played a dominant role in the USA .