The Gemini Observatory consists of twin 8 meter optical/infrared telescopes located on Mauna Kea one of the best observing sites found on Earth. The Gemini Observatory’s international headquarters is located in Hilo, Hawaii at the University of Hawaii at Hilo’s University Park. The technology that was incorporated into the Gemini observatory takes advantage of the advanced thermal imaging controls in a wide variety of infrared applications.
A silver coating was applied to the telescope to enhance the mirror’s unprecedented performance. Other incorporated technologies include the laser guide stars, Adaptive Optics and the multi-object spectroscopy will enable observers to access the latest tools in exploring the universe.
The Gemini was built in cooperation of 7 countries naming, the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Chile, Australia, Brazil and Argentina. A network was built to provide remote assistance and access to the observatory with the flexibility of “Queue Scheduling” and remote participation, researcher can access anywhere within the Gemini Partnership will be assured the best possible match between observation, instrument and observing conditions.
The Subaru Telescope is from Japan. The observatory houses the 8.2 meter telescope atop Mauna Kea, with a height of 22.2 meters, maximum width of 27.2 meters, and a weight of 555 tons. Its mirror has a diameter of 8.2 meters with a thickness of 20 cm. The telescope’s glass is consisted of ULE (ultra-low thermal expansion glass), with a weight of 22.8 tons.
The Telescopic glass is housed within an enclosure, which has a cylindrical enclosure with the height of 43 meters. The enclosure has a base diameter of 40 meters, with a total weight of 2000 tons.
The Keck Observatory houses the Keck I and the Keck II 10 meter in diameter telescopes, the world’s largest optical-Infrared Twin telescopes. These telescopes have 36 hexagonal segments that work as one reflective glass. Each of the telescopes weighs at about 270 tons, bringing each of the Observatories to a total of 300 tons. These telescopes have the precision by the nanometers but with the optimal balance of mass and strength. The dome of the two observatories is temperature controlled by air conditioners especially during daytime when direct sunlight comes into contact with the observatory. These preventive measures ensure that the telescope will stand resistant to the deforming forces of gravity.
The Keck Observatory was made possible through the grants of more than $140 from the W. M. Keck Foundation, at which the observatory was operated by the California Association for Research in Astronomy (CARA). Its Board of Directors includes representatives from the California Institute of Technology and the University of California.
United Kingdom Infrared Telescope is the world’s largest telescope dedicated to infrared astronomy. UKIRT is situated on Mauna Kea, 4194m above sea level. It is owned by the United Kingdom Science and Technology Facilities Council and operated by the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT), the staff of the Joint Astronomy Centre, which is located in Hilo.
The CFH Observatory hosts a world class 3.6 meter optical / infrared telescope situated atop Mauna Kea, 4200 meters above sea level, within the island of Hawaii. The telescope became operational in 1979, whose mission is to provide the observing community with versatile state of the art imaging of the universe and the solar system, housed within the observatory.
The observatory headquarters is located in Waimea (also known as Kamuela by the Post Office), where the CHFT has been part of the community since 1977.
The NASA Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF) is a 3.0 inch telescope optimized for infrared observations, which is located at the summit of Mauna Kea. This observatory is funded by NASA and being operated by the University of Hawaii’s Institute for Astronomy. The instruments are provided by the NSF. The observing time for the IRTF is open to all astronomical community, at which 50% of the IRTF observing time is dedicated to the studies of the solar system objects. Observing time is done twice per year for the Feb. - July and Aug. - Jan. time periods
University of Hawaii 2.2-meter telescope (UH-2.2) is located on the summit of Mauna Kea, Hawaii. This is the first large telescope that was constructed on Mauna Kea. Operational by 1970, it showed success thought the image quality and the observing conditions on Mauna Kea. Before the operation began, an extensive survey on Mauna Kea was conducted by the University of Hawaii. The report suggested to the world how good Mauna Kea was for astronomy. Its location has a smoothed shaped mountain, which means that the airflow will pass smoothly by the mountain. The 2.2 meter telescope has had some major discoveries and one of them was the discovery of the Kuiper Belt, at which Pluto was then considered as the largest Kuiper Belt object, not as a planet anymore. Some of the feature that the UH-2.2 telescope are the first efficient 256×256 infrared array camera in the world, the first efficient 1024×1024 infrared array camera in the world, the first 4096×4096 infrared array camera in the world, and the first 8192×8192 CCD camera in the world.
UH Hilo 24 is an educational telescope at the summit of Mauna Kea, Hawaii, with an elevation of 4200 meters above sea level. This telescope is used for educational purposes where the astronomy majors at the UH Hilo can get a hands-on experience on the 24-inch telescope. Another feature will be that this telescope is equipped with electronic detectors for imaging and spectroscopy. In 2006, this telescope will be upgraded to the 36 inch telescope in the summer of 2008, which is now known as the New Educational Telescope, funded by the National Science Foundation for the use of the faculty and the students.