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Martian landscape
Our first full day on the island was spent visiting the telescopes atop Mauna Kea. Dan, Kristin, Frederick, and I drove two hours out of Kona, up through the rain and clouds, and across what looked like alien landscape, until we arrived at the Visitor's Center, elevation 9000 feet. We stopped there for about an hour to acclimate to the altitude, and to meet up with Aneel and his friend Chad, an astronomer at the Gemini telescope on the mountaintop.
Moments after heading uphill from the Visitor's Center we crossed the tree line, and soon after there ceased to be any plants at all. Mauna Kea is a harsh, barren landscape that receives very little moisture, and the upper portions look just like Mars. As we neared the top I started seeing telescopes; not just a couple like I expected, but about two dozen (well, about half of those make up the submillimeter array, which is technically one telescope).
We drove around, stopping here and there to get a good look at things. Chad was an excellent tour guide, giving us all sorts of information and answering all of our questions. He had originally planned to show us the inside of the Gemini facility, but the engineers were doing maintenance and the telescope was currently in pieces all over the floor, so we were unable to see it.
Mauna Kea is the tallest mountain in the world. Sure, Everest may be the highest point above sea level, but its base starts at about 17,600 ft. above sea level, making the actual mountain 11,428 feet tall. In contrast, Mauna Kea's base is 19,678 feet below sea level; combined with the 13,796 above the water, that brings Mauna Kea's true height to a towering 33,474 feet. The telescopes are located just a short distance from Mauna Kea's true summit which is too small to build anything on. We took a hike over there, and the short walk literally took my breath away. Because of the altitude I had to stop several times on the uphill slope to rest, my heart pounding like I had just run a race. But all in all, I was fine at altitude, although I could tell I wasn't completely normal; it felt like I was slightly drunk.
We watched the sunset from atop the mountain, then drove down to the Visitor's Center for what is probably the best stargazing in the world before heading home.
The submillimeter array
Frederick pays homage
They're not so big once you get close
Looking up a Keck
The dome covering Gemini North
Atop the tallest mountain in the world
Five at the summit
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