Mauna Kea’s summit is one of the best sites in the world for astronomical observation.  Today the Mauna Kea Science Reserve is the site of 13 observation facilities from 11 countries, the largest such complex in the world.

Aloha Kakou.

On Saturday I went with some of my friends here to Mauna Kea. I was soo excited to finally make it there. Seeing the stars there, along with seeing the lava, are the two things I want to do here the most. In fact, I will not leave this island without seeing both of these things first. So the mountain is supposed to have clear skies at night 96% of the time. And OF COURSE we went during the other 4% of the time. It was completely cloudy and we could barely see any stars. It was also freezing up there! But that was a nice change from the normal temperature here. I also couldn’t believe how dark it was. Because of its elevation and location in the middle of the Pacific, Mauna Kea is supposed to be one of the best places to view the stars in the world. There are all kinds of observatories on the top of the mountain. Also, the entire island does not use normal lights. All of the lights here are a dim orange color because they create less light pollution. I think it’s awesome that they do this, and seriously, I have never seen an area as dark as on the mountain. I couldn’t see one foot in front of my face. It was crazy.

I have a field trip tomorrow in my Hawaiian ‘Ohana class. We’re going to the volcano and Ka’u (the area at the southern part of the island), and there are going to be a ton of people because all of the ‘Ohana classes are going. I think there are like 6 classes, so yeah, lots of people. I’ll let you guys know how the trip goes.

Miss you all! xoxo