Description: Mauna Kea is the largest mountain in the world. How can that be when Mount Everest is the tallest in the world? Mount Everest has a height of 29,029 feet while Mauna Kea has a height of 13, 796 feet. However, when Mauna Kea is measured from its base to its summit, it is 33000 feet, 20000 feet which is below the Pacific Ocean. Mauna Kea is flanked by its neighbor, Mauna Loa, which has a height of 13, 679 feet, a little over 100 feet smaller.
Mauna Kea has been considered one of the most important astronomical sites in the world. There is an observatory at the top of the mountain and scientists from around the world come to Mauna Kea to do research because in a given year there are over 300 clear nights which contributes to the many clear pictures of the night sky.
I decided to make my journey to the top of Mauna Kea at night to go stargazing. I turned onto Highway 200, also known as Saddle Road, which cuts between Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. The road is not flat nor is it fast. The fastest I could travel on the road was 30 mph and that is because of the many dips and curves that wind its way to the entrance of Mauna Kea.
Once I finally made it to the entrance to Mauna Kea, the road did not get any better. Since I was going up a mountain, the road began to constantly curve until I made it to the top. It was interesting to see cattle grates on the road as there used to be a problem with cattle on the mountain.
I finally made it to the observatory which is operated by the University of Hawaii. I actually came on a good night, because there were over twenty high powered telescopes that I could look through and see the many different constellations and stars in the night sky. Volunteers from the university were on hand to answer any questions that we had about what we were seeing.
One of the most interesting views was a close-up of the moon. You could actually put your camera lens onto the telescope view finder and take pictures of the moon. However, I didn’t need the telescope, because the sky was so clear, that it seemed that I could literally reach out and touch the moon.
If you are looking to do something at night, stargazing on the highest point in Hawaii is a great start.
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