Mauna Kea Observatories viewed from the North

Mauna Kea Observatories viewed from the North - 1

In the center are the open domes of the W.M. Keck Observatory. These are the largest optical/IR telescopes in the world. Each telescope has a mirror 10 meters in diameter. Each telescope mirror is made up of 36 separate precisely controlled segments, joined together in a honeycomb pattern.

At the left of the photograph is the NASA IRTF. To the right of the Keck telescopes is the Subaru telescope (scheduled to become operational in 1999). In the valley below are the submillimeter telescopes - CSO (left), JCMT (center, open), and the submillimeter array. The roads leading to antenna sites for the submillimeter array (also scheduled to become operational in 1999) can be seen on the right. No array antennas had been installed on Mauna Kea when these photographs were taken.