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Mauna Kea Observing Session 
  
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 Family Vacation

Mauna Kea Observing Session
Visitors Information Station
at Hale Pohaku on Mauna Kea
Saturday Evening, January 21, 2012

Click here to register for the Mauna Kea Observing Session
($20 fee to help with transportation cost)
 

Hale Pohaku Astronomer's Hotel 
                 Hale Pohaku Dining Room
       Visitors Information Station

                 VIS at night

The sky at the VIS is as good  as can be found anywhere in the world for viewing the cosmos. It is completely dark with no nearby cities lights. The Milky Way stands out bright overhead, a dozen deep sky objects (clusters, nebulae or galaxies) can be see with the unaided eye. With a telescope  beautiful globular clusters, sublime nebula or the spiral arms on galaxies can be observed. On a good night planets can be seen at high power in all their glory .


Observe from the dark, clear skies at Hale Pohaku at the 9000-foot level of Mauna Kea at the Visitors Information Station (VIS). The 4-wheel drive van will depart from and return to the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) HQ.
 

Schedule

  5:00 Depart Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope HQ

  6:00 Arrive Hale Pohaku for dinner (included) at the
           "astronomer's hotel."

  7:00 Observing session at the Visitors Information
           Station (VIS)

10:00 Depart VIS for CFHT  HQ

11:00 Arrive CFHT HQ

The inversion layer on Mauna Kea usually drops well below the 9000 foot level by evening, and new moon is on January 4th, just a few nights later, so the skies should be dark and clear (although all the high mountain tours are, of course, subject to cancellation).

Telescopes at the VIS include a 16 inch Schmidt Cass and several smaller telescopes. Telescopes may also be provided by members of the Western Hawaii Astronomy Club (WHAC). Also, bring your binoculars.
 

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