On the Top of Mauna Kea

A picture of the Summit Ridge seen from the Northeast

 

The Mauna Kea Observatory Complex is the best of its kind in the world. This is so, because the air is clean and there is little or no pollution. This great atmosphere is ideal for astronomers to study space and has attracted many countries.

Telescope Name
Sponsors
Date
Aperture (Diameter of Lens)
University of Hawaii 0.6 meter telescope
University of Hawaii
1968
0.61 meters (24 inches)
University of Hawaii 2.2 meter Telescope
University of Hawaii, NASA
1970
2.24 meters (88 inches)
Canada France Hawaii Telescope
Canada, France, University of Hawaii
1979
3.6 meters (144 inches)
NASA Infrared Telescope Facility
NASA
1979
3.0 meters (120 inches)
United Kingdom Infrared Telescope
United Kingdom
1979
3.8 meters (150 inches)
Caltech Submillimeter Observatory
Caltech, NSF
1987
10.4 meters (410 inches)
James Clerk Maxwell Telescope
UK, Canada, Netherlands
1987
15 meters (590 inches)
W.M. Keck Observatory-Keck I
Caltech/ University of California
1992
10 meters (394 inches)
Gemini Northern 8-meter Telescope
United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile
1999
8.1 meters (319 inches)
Subaru-Japan National Large Telescope
Japan
1999
8.3 meters (327 inches)

A picture of the Keck 2 Observatory

People from many countries such as Japan, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia set up observatories on the summit of Mauna Kea. This helps to create more job opportunities for the people of Hawaii. Mauna Kea has telescopes from all over the world!

A picture of the Subaru Observatory

 

Come with Denise to the Top of

Mauna Kea!