Beautiful Time Lapse of Mauna Kea & Observatories

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

A grad student at the U of H, Sean Goebel, put together this time lapse of the sky & observatories on the peak of Mauna Kea. There's an interesting explanation about the use of lasers, when they can and cannot be used. I certainly have a better idea of what happens on the summit at night after watching the video.

http://sgphotos.com/portfolio/timelapse/...heavens/#5

[TomK]

Thank you, HOTPE, the time lapse video is stunning! I love the bits where it looks as though the lasers are being fired off at the center of the Galaxy!

I don't want to put a dampener on the rest of the site, but there are a couple of things there that are wrong and for anyone visiting the summit they may want to be aware. Firstly, the speed limit on the summit is not 5-mph, that limit only applies to a small section of dirt road behind the Subaru and Keck telescopes and is there to mitigate the effects of dust. Secondly, the road up there is a state road and therefore the usual laws are in place. Although vehicle headlights are a big problem for most of the observatories at night, it's actually illegal to drive up there with your headlights off after dark. The signs refer to high beams, not regular headlights. You'll be in a lot of legal hot water if you hit one of the many tourists wandering on the road after the sun has set if you don't have your lights on. Believe me when I say if it's windy there's no way you can hear an approaching vehicle and people wandering on the road are a very real hazard.

But the video is worth a watch! The youtube version is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zclfWUvbiCg

[kimo wires]

Awesome