Star Gazing
Because there is no light pollution here the stars in the sky at night are spectacular. I've been to Mauna Kea a couple of times over the years and all I can say is it's spectacular. The best way to structure your visit to the observatories is arrive late afternoon so you can see the sunset and then go back down to the visitors center and do some star gazing with their telescopes that they put out for the public to look through. The visitor center puts out 8 telescopes every night for visitors tolook through. One is a 16-inch Schmitt-Cassegrain reflector that canspot the moons and storm bands around Jupiter. The summit is about 2 hours from Kona. Before you get to the top of the mountain you will come to the visitors center that has lots of information about the mountain and the observatories on top of it. The visitors center is at the 9200 ft. level and you should hang out there for a minimum of 30 minutes before accenting to the top of Mauna Kea so your body can acclimate to the thin air. You must be in good health to accent to the summit because theair is 40 percent thinner at that altitude. Children under 16 should not betaken to the summit, people with breathing problems, anyone who scubadived in the previous 24 hours. You must have a 4x4 and warm clothes. Mostrental car companies do not allow their cars on Saddle road, you shouldread your contract to find out if yours is one of them. When you arrive at the top of Mauna Kea the view looking down on the clouds is unbelievable. In the winter there is snow on the ground. The top of the mountain is sprinkled with the following observatories:
The only observatory that has tours is the Subaru Telescope. They offer them during the week. Go to their website for exact days and times. http://SubarTelescope.org How to get there: The Mauna Kea access road turns of at the 26 milemarker of the Saddle Road. The visitor center is located 6 miles abovethis intersection. Return from Star Gazing to Konafriends Homepage New! CommentsHave your say about what you just read! Leave me a comment in the box below. |
