Mauna Kea facts for kids
Mauna Kea is a dormant volcano in the Hawaiian Islands. It is the highest point in Hawaii at 4,205 meters. If measured from top to bottom, below sea level, it is 10,200 meters high and would be the tallest mountain in the world. It is around 1,000,000 years old. Mauna Kea means 'white mountain' because in winter it often has snow at the summit.
Astronomy
Mauna Kea is an important site for astronomy. Many different countries or institutions have an observatory there, including the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan. The W. M. Keck Observatory with its 10-meter mirror is one of the most powerful in the world. Mauna Kea is an important site, especially for infrared astronomy, because of its height and clear skies.
High altitude is important because atmosphere causes an effect called seeing, which limits the quality of images by blurring them. At high altitude, there is less atmosphere between the observatories and space and this lessens the effect.
Images for kids
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To illustrate Mauna Kea's dry prominence, imagine raising the sea level of the Pacific Ocean to submerge the top of Mauna Kea. Then slowly lower it again. The first thing to appear is the peak of Mauna Kea. Then Mauna Loa and peaks of the surrounding Hawaiian Islands will emerge from the ocean. If the ocean drains further, the island around Mauna Kea will grow and merge with the adjacent islands. Continue draining until a land bridge forms between the Hawaiian Islands and a continent so that it is possible to walk all the way there without getting wet. Stop draining at this point, and this bridge is the key col of a dry Mauna Kea, connecting it to Mount Everest. Mauna Kea's peak stands 9,330 m (30,610 ft) above this key col.
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A stone structure or ahu facing Mauna Kea, on Saddle Road between Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa
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View of the mountain from Mauna Loa Observatory
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David Douglas, a Scottish botanist who died on Mauna Kea in 1834
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Mauna Kea silversword (Argyroxiphium sandwicense sandwicense) growing near the volcano's summit
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A pair of māmane (Sophora chrysophylla) trees
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The ʻalalā or Hawaiian crow (Corvus hawaiiensis) is a bird in the crow family. It is extinct in the wild, with plans to reintroduce the species into the Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge.
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Sunset over four telescopes of the Mauna Kea Observatories. From left to right: the Subaru Telescope, the twin Keck I and II telescopes, and the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility.
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Mauna Kea from the Saddle Road near Hilo
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Four observatories from the summit (left to right): UKIRT, UH88, Gemini North, and CFHT
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See also
In Spanish: Mauna Kea para niños
