Thirty Meter Telescope (planned)

Maunakea


Walk behind the Keck Twins and look northwest and you'll see...nothing. Down there is the ideal location for the TMT, which supersizes Keck's many-small-mirrors design to create the world's most advanced and powerful optical telescope, an estimated $1.4 billion endeavor. Once complete, the 492 individually mounted mirrors will peer into the deepest mysteries of the universe. We say once, not if, because the TMT will be built, just maybe not atop Mauna Kea if a vocal group of protesters have their way.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Maunakea attractions

1. Subaru Telescope

0.62 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…

2. Submillimeter Array

0.63 MILES

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…

3. WM Keck Observatory

0.65 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…

4. James Clerk Maxwell Telescope

0.74 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…

5. Mauna Kea's Summit Area

0.76 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

0.77 MILES

Able to utilize multiple sensors, this 3m (9.8ft) infrared telescope has diverse applications, from close-to-home observations – like measuring the ozone…

8. Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope

0.98 MILES

This 3.6m (11.8ft) optical/infrared telescope's first light was 1979, making it the oldest operational telescope on the mountain. It specializes in wide…