Haleakala Summit Daytime Tour
Lunch and Dinner at the Kula
Lodge
Thursday February 9
Introduction:
Half way through the conference, weather permitting, we will
have dinner at the Kula Lodge, part way up Haleakala, followed
by an observing session at the Haleakala Amateur Astronomers
observatory at the summit. Bring warm clothes and your favorite
binoculars.
The Thursday afternoon summit tour will provide insider’s tours
of the 2-meter Faulkes Telescope North (FTN) of the Las Cumbres
Observatory Global Telescope Network, the Pan-STARRS telescope
with its huge CCD camera that images much of the sky every
night, and the Haleakala Amateur Astronomers observatory,
arguably the best amateur observing site on the planet. Guest
may enjoy the summit tour or can just come for dinner at the
Kula Lodge.
11:30 No host lunch at Kula Lodge
1:00 Depart Kula Lodge for Haleakala summit
2:30 Begin Haleakala summit tour of Faulkes
Telescope North (FTN), Pan-STARRS, and
Haleakala Amateur Astronomers (HAA)
facility
4:00 Depart summit for Kula Lodge
5:00 No host social hour
(watch the sunset, weather permitting)
6:00 No host dinner at the Kula Lodge
(joined by folks that did not go on the
tour)
● Please be aware that Haleakala
Summit is over
10,000 feet altitude and touring can be
strenuous. This is of particular concern if you
have heart or breathing limitations.
●
Voluntary consolidation of folks in cars to conserve
parking space at
the summit.
http://www.nps.gov/hale/index.htm
Faulkes Telescope North
The Faulkes Telescope North is a clone of the
Liverpool Telescope, and is located at
Haleakala Observatory in the
U.S. state of
Hawaii.
The telescope is owned and operated by
LCOGT. This telescope and its sister telescope
Faulkes Telescope South are used by research and education
groups across the globe. The
Faulkes Telescope Project is one such group which provides
observing time (awarded by LCOGT) for educational projects for
UK schools and amateur astronomers.
http://www.faulkes-telescope.com/
Pan-STARRS
Pan-STARRS -- the
Panoramic Survey Telescope & Rapid Response System -- is an
innovative design for a wide-field imaging facility developed at
the University of Hawaii's Institute for Astronomy. The
combination of relatively small mirrors with very large digital
cameras results in an economical observing system that can
observe the entire available sky several times each month. The
prototype single-mirror telescope PS1 is now operational on
Mount Haleakala; its scientific research program is being
undertaken by the PS1 Science Consortium - a collaboration
between ten research organizations in four countries, A major
goal of Pan-STARRS is to discover and characterize
Earth-approaching objects, both asteroids & comets, that might
pose a danger to our planet. Its vast database is also ideal for
research in several other astronomical areas, particularly those
which involve an aspect of time variability.
http://pan-starrs.ifa.hawaii.edu/public/
Russ Genet on a previous visit to Pan-STARRS
Haleakala Amateur Astronomers facility
The Haleakala High
Altitude Observatory Site, on the Island of Maui is the site of
Hawaii's first astronomical research. At 10,000 feet elevation,
Haleakala is above one third of the earth's atmosphere. "Seeing"
conditions on Haleakala can be as good as on Mauna Kea, a site
recognized to have the best astronomical conditions for
ground-based observatories.
http://astroday.net/images/merctrans/site-maui.html
Haleakala National Park
Haleakalā National
Park is a United States national park located on the island of
Maui in the state of Hawaii. The park covers an area of 33,265
acres, of which 19,270 acres is a wilderness area. This special
place vibrates with stories of ancient and modern Hawaiian
culture and protects the bond between the land and its people.
The park also cares for endangered species, some of which exist
nowhere else. Here you can renew your spirit amid stark volcanic
landscapes and sub-tropical rain forest with an unforgettable
hike through the backcountry.
http://www.nps.gov/hale/index.htm |