Kevin's Blog

So while shopping in a Hilo Walmart, I had a conversation with a cashier about our project. I told him we were staying on Mauna Kea and he said, “I’ve always wanted to go there”. Now understand that Mauna Kea is 30 minutes from Hilo…

Mauna Kea is a sacred mountain (volcano) in Hawaiian Culture. It is also one of the world’s tallest mountains with extremely dry air. It is naturally one of the most desirable places in the world to use a telescope. And does it have telescopes.

First, some pictures of the drive up to the peak…

Ivan, Tom and Jimmy…

Me…

Frederick C. Gillett Gemini Telescope … When we got to the top, there was a storm of fast moving cold clouds. It was hard to see anything. At 13,770 feet (4197 meters), The Gemini Telescope was my favorite. It has a twin in Chile – hence the name. The two telescopes working together can cover nearly all of the sky. Built and operated by an alliance between the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Chile, Brazil, Argentina, and Australia, they saw first light in 1999 (Mauna Kea) and 2000 (Chilean Andes).