The Haleakala High Altitude Observatory site, on the Island of Maui

Maui

The island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is part of the state of Hawaii and is the largest of Maui County's four islands, bigger than Lānai, Kahoolawe, and Molokai. In 2010, Maui had a population of 144,444,...

 is the site of Hawaii

Hawaii

Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...

's first astronomical research observatory. At 10000 feet (3,048 m) elevation, Haleakala

Haleakala

Haleakalā , or the East Maui Volcano, is a massive shield volcano that forms more than 75% of the Hawaiian Island of Maui. The western 25% of the island is formed by the West Maui Mountains.- History :...

 is above one third of the Earth's atmosphere

Earth's atmosphere

The atmosphere of Earth is a layer of gases surrounding the planet Earth that is retained by Earth's gravity. The atmosphere protects life on Earth by absorbing ultraviolet solar radiation, warming the surface through heat retention , and reducing temperature extremes between day and night...

. "Seeing

Astronomical seeing

Astronomical seeing refers to the blurring and twinkling of astronomical objects such as stars caused by turbulent mixing in the Earth's atmosphere varying the optical refractive index...

" conditions on Haleakala can be as good as on Mauna Kea

Mauna Kea

Mauna Kea is a volcano on the island of Hawaii. Standing above sea level, its peak is the highest point in the state of Hawaii. However, much of the mountain is under water; when measured from its oceanic base, Mauna Kea is over tall—significantly taller than Mount Everest...

, a site recognized to have one of the best astronomical conditions for ground-based observatories.

Telescopes

• Faulkes Telescope North
  Faulkes Telescope North
  The Faulkes Telescope North is a clone of the Liverpool Telescope, and is located at Haleakala Observatory in the U.S. state of Hawaii.The telescope is owned and operated by LCOGT. This telescope and its sister telescope Faulkes Telescope South are used by research and education groups across the...
  
   2m reflecting telescope
• Department of Defense
  United States Department of Defense
  The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
  
   3.67m Advanced Electro Optical System Telescope
• Multicolor Active Galactic Nuclei Monitoring
  Multicolor Active Galactic Nuclei Monitoring
  Multicolor Active Galactic Nuclei Monitoring or MAGNUM is project started in 1995, and with observations starting in 2000 using 2m reflecting telescope for scientific study of active galactic nuclei. The telescope is run by the University of Tokyo and other Japanese academic institutions. MAGNUM...
  
   (MAGNUM) a 2m near-infrared telescope
• Advanced Technology Solar Telescope
  Advanced Technology Solar Telescope
  The Advanced Technology Solar Telescope is a large domed solar telescope facility that is planned to be built by the National Solar Observatory atop the Haleakala volcano on the Pacific island of Maui. The site was selected for its clear daytime atmospheric seeing conditions, which will enable...
  
   a 4m solar telescope. (proposed; not yet under construction)

External links

• U of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy - Haleakala Observatories
• "Maui's Night Sky" Time elapse photography of night sky from Haleakala by Wally Pacholka. Maui No Ka 'Oi Magazine
  Maui No Ka 'Oi Magazine
  Maui Nō Ka Oi Magazine is a bi-monthly regional magazine published by the Haynes Publishing Group in Wailuku, Hawaii.The phrase Maui nō ka ʻoi means "Maui is unparallel" in the Hawaiian language. Maui Nō Ka Oi Magazine features stories relating to the culture, art, dining, environmental issues,...
  
  Vol.14, No.3 (May 2010)
• "Eyes on the House of the Sun" Article about proposed telescope construction atop Haleakala. Maui No Ka 'Oi Magazine
  Maui No Ka 'Oi Magazine
  Maui Nō Ka Oi Magazine is a bi-monthly regional magazine published by the Haynes Publishing Group in Wailuku, Hawaii.The phrase Maui nō ka ʻoi means "Maui is unparallel" in the Hawaiian language. Maui Nō Ka Oi Magazine features stories relating to the culture, art, dining, environmental issues,...
  
  Volume 13 Number. 5 (September 2009).