A rare shot of the 10-meter Keck I Telescope showing its hexagonal mirror segments, June 8, 2012. // photo by David J. Eicher
On Friday, June 8, 2012,
Astronomy magazine’s second travel group of Hawaiian tourists enjoyed our last day in paradise. We commenced by listening to Alex Filippenko of the University of California, Berkeley, describe the procedure of going to the summit of Mauna Kea, the largest complex of telescopes in the Northern Hemisphere. Our group then traveled to the summit, first stopping at the 9,000-foot visitor center for an hour to allow our bodies to adjust to the low levels of oxygen we would encounter on the summit, at 13,796 feet. For Alex and I, and for tour organizers Daniel and Julie Thorpe, it would be the second time this week we traveled to the summit, principally to see the Keck I Telescope. One of the largest telescopes in the world, the 10-meter Keck I has been central to many important discoveries, including that of dark energy, which Alex and others were centrally involved with in 1998.
The long journey was wonderful; once again, due to Alex’s prominence on the mountain, we were able to show the group a rare opportunity — having Keck I turn around and move up and down, showing our viewers the giant telescope’s primary mirror segments. It was an incredible thrill for the group, just as it had been for the first group a few days earlier. Most had this rated up just as highly as seeing the transit of Venus itself.
Part of Astronomy’s tour group at the Keck I dome on the summit of Mauna Kea, June 8, 2012. // photo by David J. Eicher
We made our long trek down the mountain and enjoyed a great dinner. What a fantastic week in Hawaii it had been for the 100 travelers we had along. The full six hours of the transit of Venus, the last we will see in our lives, the trips to Mauna Kea for insider tours of the Kecks, the lectures by me and Alex Filippenko, the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park tour and talks by Steve O’Meara, the dinner cruises to see the Kona Coast, the spectacular Galaxy Garden and estate of Jon Lomberg, celebrated illustrator of Carl Sagan’s Cosmos fame. What a spectacular week.
The Big Island offers a great paradise for astronomy buffs. I encourage you not to miss it, and be sure to check out all the images from this trip at www.Astronomy.com/transit.
On Sunday we all traveled back to our many normal lives.
I am now busy with the magazine but this Friday will leave once again for the Cherry Springs Star Party in central Pennsylvania — and I look forward to seeing many of you there.