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Re: [APML] OT: Hawaian trips; was: Orion Mosaic preview
Many thanks to all who answered on the Hawaian trip questions (especially
Wei-Hao and Dave) . I don't plan on a trip any time soon but I hope for one
next year.
Bert
Bert Katzung
katzung1@comcast.net
www.astronomy-images.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "D. Kodama" <kodama@alumni.caltech.edu>
To: <astro-photo@seds.org>
Cc: <kodama@eanet.com>
Sent: Wednesday, January 28, 2004 3:14 PM
Subject: Re: [APML] OT: Hawaian trips; was: Orion Mosaic preview
> Hi,
>
> I can add some info on observing from Haleakala on Maui. I'm originally
> from Maui and get out there about once a year as I support my cousin and
> brother's businesses out there. I also worked one summer as a student at
> the UH Mees solar observatory on top of Haleakala.
>
> As some have mentioned, Haleakala's summit at 10,000 ft is more
> accessible in that it has a nice paved road all the way to the top.
Unlike the
> Saddle Road on Hawaii, there are no restrictions to ordinary rental
vehicles.
> Distance is about 55 miles from Kahului airport to the summit, but a
first-
> time driver will take about 90 minutes to do this drive.
>
> Unfortunately, most of the resorts are in either the Kihei/Makena area or
the
> Lahaina/Kaanapali area. The former is relatively close to the summit as
the
> crow flies, but the road practically requires one to return to Kahului
first.
> Building a direct road has been a political hot potato for years. In any
case,
> if you are going just for observing, you can stay in Kahului by the harbor
or
> perhaps at one of the few inns about 1/4 of the way up the mountain.
>
> As pointed out earlier, the summit is open 24 hrs a day, but it's a
National
> Park, so you will have to pay an entrance fee if you go when the toll
booth is
> manned. At the top are two parking areas. The lower one has restrooms,
> but will get very crowded as it is the staging area for bike ride tours
going
> down the mountain every morning. These tours pour into the lower parking
> lot starting about 4AM as they first see sunrise, then bike down. Note
that
> this also causes traffic jams going down the mountain in the morning.
>
> The upper parking lot is better for seclusion but there is only a
glassed-in
> observation building at the top with no restrooms. It too will become
> crowded near sunrise. It's better to observe from the observation
building
> area at the very top as it is above any incoming cars, but you will have
to
> carry equipment about two flights of stairs (remember the elevation).
>
> I have a map and panoramic shot here:
>
> http://www.eanet.com/kodama/maui/
>
> Also here are a few shots I took from Haleakala. Sorry, but they aren't
of
> the quality of Wei-Hao's shots!
>
> http://www.eanet.com/kodama/astro/2002/0205b/
> http://www.eanet.com/kodama/astro/010323a/
>
> The area labeled "visitor center" is the lower parking area I mentioned
> above. The upper parking area and observation building is near the center
> (foreground). Towards the right is a separate summit area called Science
> City, where all the observatories and TV relays are located. Do not enter
> this area. While they don't have armed guards, they do call the police
and
> have people arrested as there are some sensitive government facilities
> located there.
>
> As on Mauna Kea, it is generally pretty windy and temperatures can get
> down to freezing, not counting wind chill. Also, note that disposable
hand
> warmers don't work very well as they need oxygen!
>
> By the way, I prepared the map and panorama some years ago for Mr.
> Murakami from Japan who is the owner of Mitsuboshi, the medium format
> camera and KEF manufacturer and now supplier of the modified Canon
> EOS to Hutech. He has set up regular visits for Japanese astronomers to
> Maui and Mauna Kea too, I think, so he might be the Japanese company
> Wei-Hao was referring to.
>
> And one last note - though normally I just bring my film back with me for
> processing, there is a shop in Kihei that can handle developing medium
> format film. I last used them in 2001 and don't have their name handy,
but
> there is probably only one place in Kihei in the phone book that you can
find
> anyway.
>
> Dave Kodama
>
> P.S. Please CC me on replies if you want a fast reply to a question. I'm
on
> the once-a-day APML digest option.
>
>
> > Date: Wed, 28 Jan 2004 17:29:08 +0800 (CST)
> > From: Wei-Hao Wang <whwang@asiaa.sinica.edu.tw>
> > Subject: Re: [APML] OT: Hawaian trips; was: Orion Mosaic preview
>
> >
> > Hi All,
> >
> > Please remind me if I didn't answer all the questions you asked.
> >
> > The only place I know well is Mauna Kea. I'm not sure if my
> > information about other places is accurate. First, I heard that
> > Haleakala on Maui is easier to access. This is perhaps why most
> > Japanese go there. On the Big Island, both Mauna Kea and Mauna
> > Loa have observatories. I heard that the road condition to
> > Mauna Loa is much worse. So if you are on the Big Island and wish
> > to go to the mountains, Mauna Kea is the place to go.
> >
> > OK, let's talk about Mauna Kea.
> >
> > The elevation of the summit is about 4200m. The Visitor Info
> > Center (VIS) is at about 2800m. The road between 2800m and 3500m
> > is not paved and is steep. So if you plan to go anywhwere higher
> > than the VIS, please rent a 4WD car and don't risk your life.
> >
> > If your visit to the summit is short (just an afternoon or so),
> > you can take a 30min to one hour rest at the VIS to acclimatize
> > yourself to high altitude. If you plan to work at >2800m at night,
> > as I usually do, the acclimatization period at 2800m should be at
> > least 24 hours. For first time comers, 48 hours of acclimatization
> > is highly recommended. The situation here is very different from
> > the continental mountains. Being very used to >3500m elevations
> > in the mainland doesn't means that you will be OK on Mauna Kea.
> > So when you plan your schedule, do take this acclimatization period
> > into account.
> >
> > The acclimatization is a little difficult for visitors because
> > there are no accommodations for general public on Mauna Kea. Nobody
> > us allowed to camp there either. One thing you can do is to stay
> > at the VIS for one or even two nights, spend some day time there
> > to visit the summit, and the rest of time in Hotels in Hilo. There
> > are star parties at the VIS every day before 10:00PM. After 10:00,
> > you can do some observations there by your own. There is some
> > light polution from the VIS and the other building around, but not
> > too bad. So spending your first two nights at the VIS will still
> > allow you to do something astronomical, and most importantly, to get
> > yourself ready for the real thing.
> >
> > The real thing is above 3500m. Above 3500m, the road is paved again.
> > There are two parking lots, one at 3600m, the other at 4100m. Both
> > have good field of view. Polaris and Crux are visible from both
> > places. Eta Carinae is very high here. I suggest you to go to the
> > lower one. It's less windy and less cold there. Summit is not
> > recommended. It's too windy there. Except for seeing, the sky
> > condition on the summit and at 3500m is almost the same. In addition,
> > there is a rule saying that general public is not allowed to stay on
> > the summit after sunset. I'm not sure how the rule is enforced, but
> > chance is that the rangers will harass you on the summit. At the two
> > parking lots, it's OK to stay there for full nights. The only thing
> > the rangers may do is to make sure that you are still alive.
> >
> > Because the parking lots are right next to the road and there are
> > absolutely no trees, you will be interferenced by astronomer's car
> > light. On average, every half to one hour, there will be a car
> > passing by. So prepare lens hoods. Usually, you will be the only
> > person in the parking lot at night. Ocassionally a few people from
> > Hilo Astronomy Club will go there and setup several SCTs. They don't
> > stay for full nights. Everyday in the lower parking lots, there are
> > groups of tourists doing star gazing. They leave about 1.5 hour after
> > the twilight ends. The tour guides are easy to communicate with and
> > they respect our work. So they are never a problem for me.
> >
> > The temperature above 3500m is usually between 0 and 8 degree C,
> > depending on season. Humidity is low. Accurate weather forecast
> > is available here: http://kiloaoloa.soest.hawaii.edu/index.cgi
> > It's usually very windy, so get a strong mount for your telescope.
> >
> > Hotels are in Hilo and Kona. Hilo is closer to Mauna Kea and is
> > a bigger city. You can find restaurants and supermarkets
> > in Hilo easily. So I would suggest to book a hotel in Hilo.
> > It takes 1.5 to 2 hours to drive to the summit from Hilo.
> > I assume this is not a too long drive for most people. After
> > acclimatized to high altitude, you can drive back and forth
> > between Mauna Kea and Hilo every day. I usually pack my telescope
> > before the morning twiligh starts, go down to Hilo and sleep, get
> > some early dinner in Hilo in the afternoon, and drive to the
> > mountain again before 5:00 or 6:00PM.
> >
> > Hope these don't sound too difficult for you.
> >
> > Wei-Hao
>
>
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