Trip to Mauna Kea

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Tachyon
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Trip to Mauna Kea

Post by Tachyon »

So as not to go OT in Canopus' thread, I have started this one to post some photos.

Apologies for the not so good composition but it was really cold there! Yes, within a few hours, we went from tropic Hawaiian temperature of 25 deg C to -5 deg C at the summit.

I could not handle my camera (Canon 40D) with my gloves on, so I had to take it off and my hands went numb with the cold! I could not feel the buttons on the camera, and later I could not untwist my tripod even. I think it's time to move to 1D4 for the larger buttons.

Anyway, here are some pics that I managed to take (vantage point at Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope) -

Sunset:
Image

Keck I & II:
Image

Subaru at sunset:
Image

Gemini/UH 2.2-m telescope/UK IR telescope:
Image

Caltech Submillimeter Observatory:
Image

Image

Between the moon above and clouds below:
Image
[80% Steve, 20% Alfred] ------- Probability of Clear Skies = (Age of newest equipment in days) / [(Number of observers) * (Total Aperture of all telescopes present in mm)]
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Bergkamp_
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Post by Bergkamp_ »

i was stun...
Wee Ern aRmeD wiF Telescope reAdY tO taKe ovEr thE skY .. wIF jUst mY naKed eYEs .
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Tachyon
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Post by Tachyon »

Some more:

Gemini:
Image

UK IR telescope:
Image

University of Hawaii 2.2m telescope (I think it needs a scrub):
Image
Last edited by Tachyon on Sat Feb 06, 2010 8:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.
[80% Steve, 20% Alfred] ------- Probability of Clear Skies = (Age of newest equipment in days) / [(Number of observers) * (Total Aperture of all telescopes present in mm)]
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jiahao1986
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Post by jiahao1986 »

dream place...have to visit one day...
Clear skies please...
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Tachyon
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Post by Tachyon »

Oh, by the way, this is the vehicle we went up in... very comfortable (maybe because I was in the front seat?):

Image

The moment the sun set we saw shooting stars, and everyone went 'Wow!' when the guide was pointing out Cassiopeia to us. Anyway, taking a shot of the milky way was easy (12mm; f/2.8; 30 sec), even caught 2 meteors in the process. The red glow is due to the rising moon, not city light pollution:

Image
[80% Steve, 20% Alfred] ------- Probability of Clear Skies = (Age of newest equipment in days) / [(Number of observers) * (Total Aperture of all telescopes present in mm)]
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acc
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Post by acc »

Wow how does the brightness of the milky way there compare to the sight from Mersing? Looks like something I have to do one day :)
We do it in the dark...
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rcj
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Post by rcj »

lots of superman-like colours! love them all!
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kirbyong
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Post by kirbyong »

OH MY GOSH I LOVE THE FIRST PHOTO OMG
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Tachyon
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Post by Tachyon »

acc wrote:Wow how does the brightness of the milky way there compare to the sight from Mersing? Looks like something I have to do one day :)
Well, the Milky Way is as bright as Xinjiang, China. It's very easy to see, even when we were surrounded by artificial lights in the Visitor's Center! Unlike Mersing, the Milky Way just 'pops' at you, and seems larger than in Mersing, although that latter effect could be due to oxygen deprivation! Heh...

One more difference is that the stars do not twinkle overhead, so the Milky Way appears very stable, unlike in Mersing.
[80% Steve, 20% Alfred] ------- Probability of Clear Skies = (Age of newest equipment in days) / [(Number of observers) * (Total Aperture of all telescopes present in mm)]
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Airconvent
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Post by Airconvent »

Truly awe-inspiring! Is it very cold up there?
Did you have breathlessness due to the thinner air? [smilie=admire.gif]
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