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The Observatories at Mauna Kea, (MKO), are an independent collection of astronomical research facilities located on the summit of Mauna Kea
Mauna Kea

Mauna Kea is a volcano#volcanic activity in the U.S. state of Hawaii, one of five volcanoes which together form the Hawaii . Mauna kea means "white mountain" in the Hawaiian language, a reference to its summit being regularly covered by snow in winter....
 on the Big Island of Hawai'i
Hawaii (island)

The Island of Hawaii, also called the Big Island or Hawaii Island , is a volcano island in the U.S. Hawaii in the North Pacific Ocean....
, USA
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
. The facilities are located in a special land use zone known as the "Astronomy Precinct," which is located in the Mauna Kea Science Reserve. The Astronomy Precinct was established in 1967. The University of Hawai'i
University of Hawaii

The University of Hawaii System, formally the University of Hawaii and popularly known as UH, is a public, co-educational college and university system that confers associate, bachelor, master, doctoral and post-doctoral degrees through three university campuses, seven community college campuses, an employment training center, th...
 manages the site and leases land to several multi-national facilities which have invested more than $2 billion dollars in science and technology.






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The Observatories at Mauna Kea, (MKO), are an independent collection of astronomical research facilities located on the summit of Mauna Kea
Mauna Kea

Mauna Kea is a volcano#volcanic activity in the U.S. state of Hawaii, one of five volcanoes which together form the Hawaii . Mauna kea means "white mountain" in the Hawaiian language, a reference to its summit being regularly covered by snow in winter....
 on the Big Island of Hawai'i
Hawaii (island)

The Island of Hawaii, also called the Big Island or Hawaii Island , is a volcano island in the U.S. Hawaii in the North Pacific Ocean....
, USA
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
. The facilities are located in a special land use zone known as the "Astronomy Precinct," which is located in the Mauna Kea Science Reserve. The Astronomy Precinct was established in 1967. The University of Hawai'i
University of Hawaii

The University of Hawaii System, formally the University of Hawaii and popularly known as UH, is a public, co-educational college and university system that confers associate, bachelor, master, doctoral and post-doctoral degrees through three university campuses, seven community college campuses, an employment training center, th...
 manages the site and leases land to several multi-national facilities which have invested more than $2 billion dollars in science and technology. The Astronomy Precinct is located on land protected by the Historical Preservation Act
National Historic Preservation Act of 1966

The National Historic Preservation Act is legislation intended to preserve historical and archaeology sites in the United States of America. The act created the National Register of Historic Places, the list of National Historic Landmarks, and the State Historic Preservation Offices....
 for its significance to Hawaiian culture. The Hawaiian creation chant tells the story of Mauna Kea as progenitor of the Hawaiian people. The altitude and isolation in the middle of the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. Its name is derived from the Latin name Mare Pacificum, "peaceful sea", bestowed upon it by the Portugal explorer Ferdinand Magellan....
 makes Mauna Kea one of the best locations on earth for ground-based astronomy. It is an ideal location for submillimeter, infrared and optical observations. The seeing
Astronomical seeing

Astronomical seeing refers to the blurring and scintillation of astronomical objects such as stars caused by turbulence in the Earth's atmosphere....
 statistics show that Mauna Kea is the best site in terms of optical and infrared image quality -- for example the CFHT site has a median seeing of 0.43 arcseconds.

The accommodation for research astronomers is located at Hale Pohaku below the summit at 9300 feet (2835 m) above sea level, and a visitor information station is located at 9200 feet (2775 m). The summit of Mauna Kea is so high that scientists and other visitors are advised to stay at the lower level for 30 minutes to acclimate to atmospheric conditions before reaching the summit.

Telescopes

Telescopes found at the summit of Mauna Kea are funded by government agencies of various nations. The University of Hawai'i itself directly administers two telescopes. In total there are 12 telescopes at or around the summit of Mauna Kea. It is also one of the proposed sites of the Thirty Meter Telescope
Thirty meter telescope

The Thirty Meter Telescope will be a ground-based astronomical observatory with a 30 metre diameter segmented mirror capable of observations from the Ultraviolet to the Infrared ....
 and of Pan-STARRS
Pan-STARRS

Pan-STARRS is a planned astronomical survey that will conduct astrometry and photometry of much of the entire sky on a continuous basis. By detecting any differences from previous observations of the same areas of the sky, it is expected to discover a very large number of new asteroids, comets, variable stars and other celestial objects....
.

  • Caltech Submillimeter Observatory
    Caltech Submillimeter Observatory

    The Caltech Submillimeter Observatory is a diameter submillimeter wavelength telescope situated alongside the James_Clerk_Maxwell_Telescope at Mauna Kea Observatory....
     (CSO)    : Caltech
  • Canada France Hawai'i Telescope (CFHT): Canada
    Canada

    Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
    , France
    France

    France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
    , University of Hawai'i
    University of Hawaii

    The University of Hawaii System, formally the University of Hawaii and popularly known as UH, is a public, co-educational college and university system that confers associate, bachelor, master, doctoral and post-doctoral degrees through three university campuses, seven community college campuses, an employment training center, th...
  • Gemini North Telescope
    Gemini Observatory

    The Gemini Observatory is an astronomical observatory consisting of two telescopes at different sites. The Northern Operations Center is located in Hilo, Hawaii, and the Southern Operations Center is in La Serena, Chile....
    : United States
    United States

    The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
    , United Kingdom
    United Kingdom

    The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
    , Canada
    Canada

    Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
    , Chile
    Chile

    Chile, officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long and narrow coastal strip wedged between the Andes mountains and the Pacific Ocean....
    , Australia
    Australia

    Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
    , Argentina
    Argentina

    Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic , is a country in South America, constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city....
    , Brazil
    Brazil

    Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is a country in South America. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, occupying nearly half of South America, the List of countries by population country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world....
  • Infrared Telescope Facility
    Infrared Telescope Facility

    The NASA Infrared Telescope Facility is a telescope optimized for use in infrared astronomy and located at the Mauna Kea Observatory in Hawai'i....
     (IRTF)    : NASA
    NASA

    The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an agency of the Federal government of the United States, responsible for the nation's public list of space agencies....
  • James Clerk Maxwell Telescope
    James Clerk Maxwell Telescope

    The James Clerk Maxwell Telescope is a 15-metre Terahertz radiation telescope at Mauna Kea Observatory in Hawaii. It is the largest astronomical telescope in the world designed specifically to operate in the submillimetre astronomy regime ....
     (JCMT)    : United Kingdom
    United Kingdom

    The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
    , Canada
    Canada

    Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
    , Netherlands
    Netherlands

    The Netherlands is a country that is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands is located in North-West Europe, and bordered by the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east....
  • Subaru Telescope
    Subaru (telescope)

    Subaru Telescope is the 8.2 metre flagship telescope of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, located in Mauna Kea Observatory on Hawaii ....
    : National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
    National Astronomical Observatory of Japan

    The is an astronomy research organisation comprising several facilities in Japan, as well as an observatory in Hawaii. It was established in 1988 as an amalgamation of three existing research organizations - the Tokyo Astronomical Observatory of the University of Tokyo, International Latitude Observatory of Mizusawa, and a part of Research Insti...
  • Sub-Millimeter Array
    Submillimeter Array

    The Submillimeter Array consists of eight 6 m diameter radio telescopes arranged as an interferometer for submillimetre astronomy wavelength observations....
     (SMA)    : Taiwan
    Taiwan

    Taiwan is an island in East Asia. "Taiwan" is also commonly used to refer to the country governed by the Republic of China and to the ROC itself, which governs the island of Taiwan, Orchid Island and Green Island, Taiwan in the Pacific Ocean off the Taiwan coast, the Penghu islands in the Taiwan Strait, and Kinmen and the Matsu Islands...
    , United States
    United States

    The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
  • United Kingdom Infrared Telescope
    United Kingdom Infrared Telescope

    UKIRT, the United Kingdom Infra-Red Telescope, is a 3.8 metre infrared reflecting telescope, the largest dedicated infrared telescope in the world....
     (UKIRT)    : United Kingdom
    United Kingdom

    The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
  • University of Hawai'i telescope
    UH88

    The University of Hawai'i 88-inch telescope called UH88, UH2.2, or simply 88 by members of the local astronomical community is situated at the Mauna Kea Observatory and operated by the University's Institute for Astronomy....
     (UH88)    : University of Hawai'i
  • University of Hawai'i telescope (UH24): University of Hawaii at Hilo
    University of Hawaii at Hilo

    The University of Hawaii at Hilo is one of ten branches of the University of Hawaii anchored by the University of Hawaii at Manoa in Honolulu, Hawaii....
  • One receiver of the Very Long Baseline Array
    Very Long Baseline Array

    The Very Long Baseline Array is a system of ten radio telescopes controlled remotely from the Array Operations Center in Socorro, New Mexico, New Mexico by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory....
     (VLBA)    : United States
    United States

    The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
  • W. M. Keck Observatory
    Keck telescopes

    The W. M. Keck Observatory is a two-telescope astronomical observatory near the 4,145 meter summit of Mauna Kea in Hawaii. The primary mirrors of each of the two telescopes are in diameter, making them two of the largest optical telescopes in the world....
    : California Association for Research in Astronomy
Subaru Keck Tels
the Keck Subaru and Infrared Obervatories



2006 Hawaii earthquake

A number of the telescopes sustained minor damage during the 15 October 2006 Hawaii earthquake
2006 Hawaii earthquake

The 2006 Hawaii earthquake was an offshore earthquake occurring 10 km southwest from Puako, Hawai'i, United States, on Sunday October 15 2006 at 7:07:49 AM local time ....
 and aftershocks. Both CFHT and W. M. Keck Observatory were operational and back online as of 19 October .

See also

Maunakeasunset
* Timeline of telescopes, observatories, and observing technology
Timeline of telescopes, observatories, and observing technology

Timeline of telescopes, observatory, and observing technology....
  • Other major international observatories (under active development):
    • Roque de los Muchachos Observatory
      Roque de los Muchachos Observatory

      Roque de los Muchachos Observatory is an astronomical observatory located in the municipality of Garaf?a on the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands....
    • Paranal Observatory
      Paranal Observatory

      Paranal Observatory is an astronomical observatory located on Cerro Paranal at 2,635 mts. altitude and operated by the European Southern Observatory....
    • Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory
      Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory

      The Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory is a complex of astronomical telescopes and instruments located at 30.169 S, 70.804 W, approximately 80 km to the East of La Serena, Chile at an altitude of 2200 metres....
    • Llano de Chajnantor Observatory
      Llano de Chajnantor Observatory

      Llano de Chajnantor Observatory is an astronomical observatory located at 5104 m altitude in the Chilean Atacama desert, 50 kilometers to the east of San Pedro de Atacama....
  • Historically important observatories (not undergoing substantial development):
    • Mount Wilson Observatory
      Mount Wilson Observatory

      The Mount Wilson Observatory is an astronomical observatory in Los Angeles County, California. The MWO is located on Mount Wilson , a 5,715 foot peak in the San Gabriel Mountains near Pasadena, California, northeast of Los Angeles....
    • Kitt Peak Observatory
    • Palomar Observatory
      Palomar Observatory

      Palomar Observatory is a privately owned observatory located in San Diego County, California, 90 miles southeast of Mount Wilson Observatory, on Palomar Mountain in the Palomar Mountain Range....


External links

  • Mauna Kea Observatory is at coordinates
  • Mauna Kea Observatory visitors center and astronomer accommodation is at coordinates
  • by Michael J. West. ISBN 0-93154-899-3.