Invitation to Talk Story with the Mauna Kea Observatories

We’re committed

to protecting, preserving, and enhancing the natural, cultural, and recreational resources of Maunakea while remaining a world-class center dedicated to education, research, and astronomy. We support and collaborate on Maunakea stewardship projects and applaud the University of Hawai‘i’s multifaceted stewardship program, as implemented by the Office of Maunakea Management and overseen by the community volunteers on the Maunakea Management Board and Kahu Kū Mauna.

Learn more about our partners who help ensure that a shared vision for the future of Maunakea becomes a reality.

uh-stewardship
The Center for Maunakea Stewardship (CMS) is responsible for day-to-day management of the Maunakea Science Reserve as prescribed in the Master Plan. CMS was established in August 2020 and combines the Office of Maunakea Management (created in 2000 as directed by the Mauna Kea Master Plan 2000) and Maunakea Observatories Support Services and formalizes the collaborative roles for the UH Institute for Astronomy and UH Hilo ʻImiloa Astronomy Center. See the UH Commitment to Maunakea and Hawaiʻi for more information.
Visit Site
revised_MKO[1]
Led by the University of Hawai‘i and principally sponsored by the Maunakea Observatories, Maunakea Support Services provide critical road repair, maintenance, and snow clearing year round, ensuring the safety of Maunakea Access Road from Halepōhaku to the summit. This essential infrastructure benefits the community and helps support Maunakea stewardship, in its many forms.
Visit Site
visitor information center
The daily schedule for the Onizuka Center for International Astronomy Visitor Information Station, or the VIS, can be found through the link below. Located close to the summit level, it provides health and safety information and education about Maunakea. Around the VIS, you can watch videos, shop in the First Light Bookstore, check out the silversword garden, view the Sun through the solar telescope and more.
Visit Site

Solar Power At Maunakea

Recently solar panels were installed on the roofs of Gemini Observatory and Halepōhaku, the mid-level facility operated by Maunakea Support Services and principally sponsored by the Maunakea Observatories. The panels on Gemini are the second highest PV panels in the world by 200 feet, only surpassed by a set of panels in Tibet.

Read More >

Maunakea Weather Center

A collaboration between the University of Hawai‘i Department of Meteorology, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST), Institute for Astronomy, and the Maunakea Observatories, the Maunakea Weather Center provides the most sophisticated weather forecasts used in astronomy worldwide. They also support long term climatology studies of Maunakea, providing important insights into the effects of global climate change on Maunakea’s fragile ecosystem.

Read More >

Maunakea Support Services

Led by the University of Hawai‘i and principally sponsored by the Maunakea Observatories, Maunakea Shared Services provide critical road repair, maintenance, and snow clearing year round, ensuring the safety of people who use the Access Road from Halepōhaku to the summit. This essential infrastructure benefits the community and helps support Maunakea stewardship, in its many forms.

Read More >