University of Hawaiʻi 2.2m Telescope

Maunakea


UH2.2 (if you go metric, UH88 if you prefer inches) was a pioneer of Mauna Kea. As the first large telescope on the mountain (1970), its great imagery convinced the world that the roof of Hawaiʻi was the best place to gaze at the heavens. However, UH2.2 is also something of a public enemy: observations from this telescope determined that Pluto is not a planet after all, but just another chunk of space debris floating in the Kuiper Belt.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Maunakea attractions

1. Gemini Northern Telescope

0.06 MILES

When this 26.6ft telescope is paired with its twin in Chile, they are able to cover almost the entire sky. In 2014, Gemini used speckle imaging to help…

2. United Kingdom Infrared Telescope

0.07 MILES

Even though this 3.8m (12.5ft) telescope is the second-largest dedicated infrared telescope in the world, it will soon be decommissioned according to the…

4. Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope

0.16 MILES

This 3.6m (11.8ft) optical/infrared telescope's first light was 1979, making it the oldest operational telescope on the mountain. It specializes in wide…

5. Puʻu Wekiu

0.18 MILES

Hawaiian cultural practitioners ask that visitors respect the sacred true summit of Mauna Kea and not hike the trail to the top of the cinder cone (13…

6. NASA Infrared Telescope Facility

0.28 MILES

Able to utilize multiple sensors, this 3m (9.8ft) infrared telescope has diverse applications, from close-to-home observations – like measuring the ozone…

7. Mauna Kea's Summit Area

0.3 MILES

At 13,796ft in the air, you are above 40% of the atmosphere and 90% of its water vapor – apparently perfect conditions for growing the giant mushroom-like…

8. WM Keck Observatory

0.4 MILES

Mirrors larger than 26.2ft are so heavy that gravity distorts them as they move. Keck's breakthrough design overcame that limitation in 1993 by using a…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
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