UH Hilo Center for Maunakea Stewardship - Research Library

The Light on White Mountain

Author:
Whitney, Scott
Title:
The Light on White Mountain
Periodical:
Honolulu
Year:
1996
Volume:
V8
Pages:
9-10
Subject:
Mauna Kea Crab Nebula Jupiter Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 Keck Observatory Comet Hale-Bopp Kuiper Belt Canada France Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) UH 2.2-meter telescope Photographs
Summary:
This document describes the view from Mauna Kea by day, the stars that are visible by night, and how this mountain top was discovered by Gerard Kuiper who determined that this is where the best seeing for astronomy would be in the Pacific. Also described are the telescopes that sit atop this white mountain, the countries that operate these institutions that are located within the Mauna Kea Science Reserve -- all land that is located above the 12,000 foot level. The light of different wavelengths is observed by the various telescopes that are operated on Mauna Kea. These observatories house three University of Hawaii telescopes, the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility, the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope, the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope, the W. M. Keck Telescope, the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory, the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope and the soon-to-be built Subaru Telescope. Through these telescopes, astronomers observe a variety of light, (or lack thereof), and colors -- the light from faint bluish objects from the edge of the universe, brown dwarfs, (a cross between a planet and a star), and no light which indicates black holes in our universe.
Date:
May 1, 1996
Collection:
Akiyama