.jpg) Haleakalā Observatory with DKIST (left) and AEOS Telescope (right) | |
| Alternative names | Haleakala Observatory |
|---|---|
| Organization | |
| Location | Haleakalā, Hawaii, United States |
| Coordinates | 20°42′30″N156°15′26″W / 20.7083°N 156.2571°W /20.7083; -156.2571 |
| Altitude | 3,052 m (10,013 ft) |
| Established | 1961 |
| Website | about |
| Telescopes | |
  Location of Haleakalā Observatory | |
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 Related media on Commons | |
TheHaleakalā Observatory, also known as theHaleakalā High Altitude Observatory Site, is Hawaii's first astronomical research observatory.[1] It is located on the island ofMaui and is owned by theInstitute for Astronomy of theUniversity of Hawaiʻi, which operates some of the facilities on the site and leases portions to other organizations. Tenants include theAir Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and theLas Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network (LCOGTN). At over 3,050 meters (10,010 ft) in elevation, the summit ofHaleakalā is above one third of the Earth'stroposphere and has excellentastronomical seeing conditions.[2]
The Mees Solar Observatory (MSO) is named afterKenneth Mees and dedicated in 1964.[1] It consists of one dome with multiple instruments sharing a common mount.[3]
ThePanoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS) is a pair of telescopes plus a computing facility that surveys the sky on a continual basis, providing accurateastrometry andphotometry of detected objects. By detecting any differences from previous observations of the same areas of the sky, it has discovered over 5,700 newasteroids,comets,variable stars and other celestial objects.[4] Currently,[when?] the 1.8-meter (71 in) PS1 telescope is in operation and the PS2 is in its commissioning phase.[5]
TheFaulkes Telescope North, part of theFaulkes Telescope Project, is a 2.0-meter (79 in) reflecting telescope owned and operated by theLas Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network. It provides remote access to a research-quality telescope primarily to students in the United Kingdom.[6]
The TLRS-4 Laser Ranging System is part of theInternational Laser Ranging Service (ILRS), which providessatellite laser ranging andlunar laser ranging data.[7] The TLRS-4 replaced an older facility in order to provide continuity of data. The old facility now houses telescopes of the Pan-STARRS project.[8]
The Zodiacal Light Observatory currently consists of two instruments. The Scatter-free Observatory for Limb Active Regions and Coronae (SOLARC or SOLAR-C) telescope is a 0.5-meter (20 in) off-axis reflectingcoronagraph that is used to study theSun'scorona.[9] The Day-Night Seeing Monitor Telescope System (DNSM) makes telescope-independent observations of perturbations in the atmosphere above Haleakala.[10]
TheAir Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) of theAir Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) operates the Maui Space Surveillance Complex (MSSC), which is part of theAir Force Maui Optical and Supercomputing Site (AMOS). Located at the MSSC are the 3.67-meter (144 in)Advanced Electro Optical System Telescope (AEOS),[11] the Maui Space Surveillance System (MSSS), and theGround-based Electro-Optical Deep Space Surveillance (GEODSS). The MSSS uses a number of optical assets, including a 1.6-meter (63 in) telescope, two 1.2-meter (47 in) telescopes on a common mount, a 0.8-meter (31 in) beam director/tracker, and a 0.6-meter (24 in) laser beam director.[12] The GEODSS uses two 1.0-meter (39 in) telescopes and one 0.38-meter (15 in) telescope.[13]
The Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST) is a 4.0-meter (160 in)solar telescope of theNational Solar Observatory.[14][15]
