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Mauna Kea
Observatories, Hawaii
Tonight is the final of 6 nights at Mauna Kea Observatories, where
I have been an observer on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope
(JCMT) at Mauna Kea Observatories. Mauna Kea has the world’s
largest observatory with a number of telescopes operated by
various countries and operating in various wavebands. JCMT is
a submillimetre-wavelength telescope run by the UK. It has a 15
metre primary mirror and is the largest submillimetre telescope in
the world.
Observers from the UK can come to JCMT for scientific research,
and are joined by Hawaii-based telescope operators who know how
to run the telescope and how to fix it if anything goes wrong. The
telescope is located at an altitude of 4092 metres, and there are
accommodation facilities a little further down the mountain at Hale
Pohaku (HP) at 2804 metres altitude. Because of the high altitude
and the health concerns that come with it, observers are required
to acclimatise for 24 hours at HP before travelling to the summit
to work on the telescopes. This is where all astronomers from the
various telescopes sleep during their stay; there are lodges with
bedrooms and a main facility with a cafeteria and pool tables, ping
pong, dart boards etc.
ICY SCIENCE | QTR 1 2014