Submillimeter Array

Maunakea


These eight 19.7ft radio telescopes work together (via supercomputer) to create image resolutions equal to an antenna 0.3 miles in diameter. The SMA detects millimeter and submillimeter radiation, allowing scientists to observe cold materials like gases and dust which combine to make stars and planets. Jointly operated by the US Smithsonian and Taiwan's Academia Sinica, SMA sometimes joins forces with a global network of telescopes to study the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy: Sagittarius A*.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Maunakea attractions

1. James Clerk Maxwell Telescope

0.12 MILES

You can easily recognize the JCMT by the world's largest sheet of Gore-Tex® which covers the telescope allowing it to operate night and day. Its 49.2ft…

2. Subaru Telescope

0.15 MILES

When it came online in 1999, Japan's 26.9ft Subaru Telescope was the most expensive observatory ever constructed. The 22-ton mirror is one of the largest…

4. WM Keck Observatory

0.27 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…

5. Mauna Kea's Summit Area

0.27 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…

6. NASA Infrared Telescope Facility

0.42 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. University of Hawai‘i 0.9m Telescope

0.5 MILES

Hoku Kea was meant to be a teaching telescope, but the original 0.9m (3ft) mirror was delivered warped and the manufacturer went bankrupt. So, it has…

8. United Kingdom Infrared Telescope

0.51 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…