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Over the clouds on top of Mauna Kea
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| [Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note |
Sunrise from the top of Mauna Kea, Hawaii...
Cool to be between two layers of clouds !!!
Mauna Kea ("White Mountain") is a dormant volcano on the island of Hawaii, the largest and southernmost of the Hawaiian Islands. It is located about 300 km (190 miles) from Honolulu, which lies on the island of Oahu. The highest point in the Pacific Basin, and the highest island-mountain in the world, Mauna Kea rises 9,750 meters (32,000 ft) from the ocean floor to an altitude of 4,205 meters (13,796 ft) above sea level, which places its summit above 40 percent of the Earth's atmosphere. The broad volcanic landscape of the summit area is made up of cinder cones on a lava plateau. The lower slopes of Mauna Kea are popular for hunting, hiking, sightseeing, and bird watching in an environment that is less hostile than the barren summit area.
Hawaii is Earth's connecting point to the rest of the Universe. The summit of Mauna Kea on the Island of Hawaii hosts the world's largest astronomical observatory, with telescopes operated by astronomers from eleven countries. The combined light-gathering power of the telescopes on Mauna Kea is fifteen times greater than that of the Palomar telescope in California -- for many years the world's largest -- and sixty times greater than that of the Hubble Space Telescope.
Mauna Kea is unique as an astronomical observing site. The atmosphere above the mountain is extremely dry -- which is important in measuring infrared and submillimeter radiation from celestial sources - and cloud-free, so that the proportion of clear nights is among the highest in the world. The exceptional stability of the atmosphere above Mauna Kea permits more detailed studies than are possible elsewhere, while its distance from city lights and a strong island-wide lighting ordinance ensure an extremely dark sky, allowing observation of the faintest galaxies that lie at the very edge of the observable Universe. A tropical inversion cloud layer about 600 meters (2,000 ft) thick, well below the summit, isolates the upper atmosphere from the lower moist maritime air and ensures that the summit skies are pure, dry, and free from atmospheric pollutants.
Source: http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/mko/about_maunakea.htm |
pablominto, marhowie, SunToucher has marked this note useful
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Hello Stephan,
This is a great capture, where the clouds seem to be alive!
Great textures and interesting lighting, well composed presentation with great colours and fine details!
Regards,
Pablo -
- Juyona
![Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2256 W: 10 N: 2618]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-s-g.gif)
(15517) - [2006-09-09 5:28]
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Hola Stephan,
Preciosos momentos, como la luz llega al mar de nubes... buen trabajo, saludos
Hi Stephaan,
I've only experienced being inbetween two layers of clouds when I was sitting in a plane. You must have had a long climb to get here. I love the effect the sun created on both layers.
TFS,
Niek
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(16041)