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Why Mauna Kea?

Why Mauna Kea?. Mauna Kea, Hawaii Mauna Kea 13,824 ft

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Page 1: Why Mauna Kea?. Mauna Kea, Hawaii Mauna Kea 13,824 ft

Why Mauna Kea?

Page 2: Why Mauna Kea?. Mauna Kea, Hawaii Mauna Kea 13,824 ft

Mauna Kea, Hawaii

Page 3: Why Mauna Kea?. Mauna Kea, Hawaii Mauna Kea 13,824 ft

Mauna Kea 13,824 ft

Page 4: Why Mauna Kea?. Mauna Kea, Hawaii Mauna Kea 13,824 ft

Astronomers observe through Atmospheric windows

Page 5: Why Mauna Kea?. Mauna Kea, Hawaii Mauna Kea 13,824 ft

KAO cabin pressure

(2,600m)

sea level

Denver

(1,690m)

onset of hypoxemia

(3,500m)

Mount Graham(3,191m)

Mauna Kea(4,215m)

Llano do Hato(3,610m)

highest livingmammal

(yak)

“Death Zone”

(5,500m)

Reaching for the Stars

WaterVapor

Page 6: Why Mauna Kea?. Mauna Kea, Hawaii Mauna Kea 13,824 ft

Location, location, location….

Page 7: Why Mauna Kea?. Mauna Kea, Hawaii Mauna Kea 13,824 ft

Location, Location, Location...

Comfort Zone

Page 8: Why Mauna Kea?. Mauna Kea, Hawaii Mauna Kea 13,824 ft

The inversion layer

Page 9: Why Mauna Kea?. Mauna Kea, Hawaii Mauna Kea 13,824 ft

Adaptive Optics can be made to work...

University of Hawaii/NSF Adaptive University of Hawaii/NSF Adaptive Optics System - Hokupa’aOptics System - Hokupa’a

Page 10: Why Mauna Kea?. Mauna Kea, Hawaii Mauna Kea 13,824 ft

V-band0.6 arcsec

Adaptive Optics at workGlobular Cluster NGC6934

• V (0.55um) band

• FWHM of 0.6”

• K (2.2um) band

• ~120 exposures totaling 23min

• FWHM of 0.09”

Gemini Optical ImageGemini Optical Image2.2um (K)Hokupa’a ON

Page 11: Why Mauna Kea?. Mauna Kea, Hawaii Mauna Kea 13,824 ft

Light Pollution in the US

Image from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Page 12: Why Mauna Kea?. Mauna Kea, Hawaii Mauna Kea 13,824 ft

Earth at Night

Image from the International Dark Sky Association

Page 13: Why Mauna Kea?. Mauna Kea, Hawaii Mauna Kea 13,824 ft

Mauna Kea at Night

Page 14: Why Mauna Kea?. Mauna Kea, Hawaii Mauna Kea 13,824 ft

The Competition …..

Page 15: Why Mauna Kea?. Mauna Kea, Hawaii Mauna Kea 13,824 ft

HSTHST8 meters

2.4 meters

$440M

$1.75M

UKIRTUKIRT

GEMINIGEMINI

One advantage of being on the ground One advantage of being on the ground - collecting area & cost- collecting area & cost

$2.00M

Page 16: Why Mauna Kea?. Mauna Kea, Hawaii Mauna Kea 13,824 ft

Atacama Desert, Chile

Page 17: Why Mauna Kea?. Mauna Kea, Hawaii Mauna Kea 13,824 ft

Atacama Desert, 18,000 ft

Images from NASA’s Nomad Test Expedition

Page 18: Why Mauna Kea?. Mauna Kea, Hawaii Mauna Kea 13,824 ft

2121st st Century Ground-Based Observatory Century Ground-Based Observatory -- 50m Class Telescope-- 50m Class Telescope

Page 19: Why Mauna Kea?. Mauna Kea, Hawaii Mauna Kea 13,824 ft
Page 20: Why Mauna Kea?. Mauna Kea, Hawaii Mauna Kea 13,824 ft