First of all, the road is steep, unpaved, narrow and rough in places. However, this adventure is not for everybody. From that high up you can enjoy an incredible view with the entire island lying at your feet and can even see neighboring Mauna Loa and the island of Maui in the far distance (on a clear day). At sunset, one can see the Mauna Kea shadow, a huge silhouette of the mountain looming over Hilo. Occasionally the moon may appear ablaze or misshapen. Depending on the weather and cloud cover, moonrises can look quite unusual. Sunsets and moonrises are spectacular up here. Many would consider driving up to the summit a once-in-a lifetime experience. Alternatively, there are tour operators (including Hawaii Forest & Trail and Mauna Kea Summit Adventures) that offer tours for those who prefer not to drive themselves. For all the tours, you need to provide your own four-wheel drive transportation. Also, summit tours which include a visit to the Subaru telescope are being offered up to 15 days a month (). The former has a display and a viewing area inside the Keck I dome, and visitors can watch a 12-minute video. Only two of them outside visitors can see from within – the WM Keck Observatory visitor gallery (Mon-Fri from 10 am to 4 pm, free admission) and the University of Hawaii 2.2m Telescope (Mon-Thu from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm, free admission). Most of these telescopes are off-limits to the public. This telescope made a breakthrough discovery in 1996 when the 390in Keck I discovered the most distant galaxy over observed, which is 14 billion light-years away. The WM Keck Observatory houses the world’s largest and most powerful optical-infrared telescope. The first telescope to be built on Mauna Kea was the University of Hawaii 0.6m Telescope, which is used mainly to train students from the university. It cost $300 million and also features the largest optical mirror in the world, measuring 27 feet (8.2 m) in diameter and weighing 22 tons. The Subaru is the most expensive in the collection. The Smithsonian Submillimeter Array is run by Taiwan and the United States, the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope is administered by the UK, Netherlands and Canada, the Gemini Northern 8m Telescope is used by a consortium of seven nations, and the Subaru Telescope is run by Japan. The telescopes are administered by different countries. Only the Andes Mountains of South America match Mauna Kea when it comes to cloudless nights, but the air is more turbulent there, which makes stargazing more difficult.Ī few world-class observatories are located at the Mauna Kea summit, and scientists from around the world book months in advance for a chance to look through these phenomenal telescopes, which are the best state-of-the-art optical, infrared and millimeter telescopes on Earth. At this altitude, the summit is above 40% of the Earth’s atmosphere and 98% of its water vapor, which guarantees crystal clear, cloudless skies on almost all days of the year. The lack of light and dust pollution and the clarity of the air make the summit of Mauna Kea the best location in the world for stargazing. Rising 13,796 feet (4205 m) into the sky, Mauna Kea ( see more photos) is the tallest peak in the Pacific and by some accounts, the tallest in the world when measured from its base, which is 18,000 feet (5486 m) below the sea. Mauna Kea Observatories and Summit, Big Island Some of the best telescopes on the mountain are:Ĭlick here to find out more. Mauna Kea is home to over a dozen world-class telescopes ran by astronomers from many countries. Still there is tension about the use of this land for building large telescopes. New telescopes are still being placed on the site, though now at least in talks with local leaders. The first telescopes built there were done so without the agreement of the local people. The mountain is significant in Hawaiian culture. Its use as a site for telescopes is contested. It is over 4,200 m high which means it is looking through less atmosphere (40% less). The sea around the islands keeps the air stable, making the stars twinkle less. The site is ranked the best in the Northern Hemisphere. It is an extinct volcano and home to one of the best observatories in the world. Mauna Kea or the White Mountain, on the island of Hawaii, has been used for looking at the night sky since ancient times. Panorama showing the observatory on the top of Mauna Kea
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