Hi,
Sorry if this is the wrong place (if it is, please point me in the right direction!)
Iβm a 2nd year physics major who recently took an astrophysics/astronomy course and found it very interesting!
I was hoping to go to Hawaii in the next year or so and was wondering if there was any way to visit the observatory. I know Iβm not really a notable figure in the field but I was wondering if there was a chance I could get a tour (maybe with a word from my prof, who is much more published than I am).
Is it worth a shot?
So I've read that I need a 4x4 wheel and we are renting one, but a lot of people mention the road is difficult and I'm considering booking a tour in order not to drive, the only thing holding me back is that I will pay at least $200 and have a possibility of having a cloudy sky and that would be disappointing.
Has anyone drove that road? Any recommendations?
Tomorrow is my last night on the island. I'd really like to get to the summit for the sunset. Can I hitch hike up there? My car can get to the VIS but obviously not the summit. The rangers just opened the road yesterday. Or can I hire someone to take me up/down?
Anyone play both of these? I have 1 day to play and can do either one. Both look amazing but need help deciding
https://youtu.be/7BecTllzAMk
I thought that this video could be useful to anyone trying to figure out whether or not they could or should drive up to the summit of Mauna Kea.
As our rental we had a Jeep Compass and didn't have any issues with making it up to the top. At no point did I feel it was unsafe or difficult of a drive.
I had a few takeaways for anyone looking to make this drive:
- Make sure you have a 4x4 - they won't let you attempt it without a 4x4
- Make sure you have at least half a tank of gas - they want to make sure you can make it up and back down and into town. We started the drive up with about half a tank and probably used only 1/4 tank to make it back to Hilo.
- Make sure you don't go too late or too early - If they don't think you can make it to the top before the sunsets they won't let you go. We were the last ones up the mountain. The ranger at the bottom almost didn't let us go.
- Make sure your car is clean - If you have mud on your car caked on from other off-roading you may have done then they won't let you up so you don't bring in contaminates. Wash your car before you go. We had mud caked on our wheels from driving down into Waipi'o Valley and had to get it all washed off.
- The drive isn't nearly as bad as a lot of comments make it out to be. While a bit bumpy it wasn't a difficult drive at all compared to things like driving up and down into the Waipi'o Valley
I know that there has been controversy surrounding the use and further development of Mauna Kea for astronomical observatories. I think I remember a few years ago there was a lot of debate about building the TMT, with some outspoken native activists saying that the overuse of the mountain was basically destroying a sacred place (and its use by the astronomical community was essentially inseparable from the history of colonization and exploitation that's been exacted on the Hawaiian people). I had also heard around that time that this was not necessarily a majority view, and that some native Hawaiian elders and ancestors had even celebrated the development of astronomical observatories in the location as an embrace of the link between heaven and Earth. I realize that this is a fairly delicate issue, and that either side's position could be exaggerated or misrepresented in terms of how widespread it is. I am not interested in debating the merits of either position here, but I am curious to know: is it well documented how most native Hawaiians feel about this issue? Are there reasonably well-conducted surveys on this issue? If so, what's the breakdown? What fraction of native Hawaiians support vs. condemn further astronomical development of the mountain?
Anyone live near Mauna Kea?
