Haleakalā Observatory, Maui, Hawaii

My favorite picture of Haleakalā Observatory, with clouds below

The Haleakalā Observatory, aka the Air Force Maui Optical and Supercomputing observatory, is located in Haleakalā National Park. I blogged about the park yesterday if you are interested.

The Haleakalā Observatory is a large campus on top of the mountain. Inside are several huge telescopes, including one that is over 5 feet in diameter! The observatory is also home to the Maui High Performance Computing Center. 

The location for the observatory was chosen because of the pristine environment, which lacks light pollution, and consistent weather, allowing for year-round observation. The observatory is managed by the Department of Defense and the super computer by the University of Hawaii.

It would be amazing to visit the observatory, but it is closed to the public. There is some chatter online about special events that are open to the public, but I couldn't confirm that. 

But, amateur astronomy is extremely popular in Hawaii, Maui in particular and if you are interested, I would suggest contacting the Maui Astronomy Club. While they do require membership for some events, it appears that they welcome visitors and tourists.
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