Mauna Kea Observatories

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/mauna-kea-observatories

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. How high is Mauna Kea Observatories?13,803 feet (4,207 meters) above sea level
2. How big is Mauna Kea Observatories?10 meters (33 feet) in diameter
3. What is the observatories present?13 active observatories housing multiple telescopes, including Keck, Subaru, and Gemini North
4. Why is Mauna Kea a good place for telescopes?Because it is very high, above 40% of Earth's atmosphere, and the air is dry and stable, the telescopes can see clearer.
5. What are some of the biggest telescopes at Mauna Kea?The Keck Observatory has two 10‑meter telescopes, the Subaru Telescope is 8.2 meters, and the Gemini North telescope is 8.1 meters.

Seeing: A measure of the atmospheric stability that affects the sharpness of astronomical images.
Adaptive Optics: Technology that corrects for atmospheric distortions in real-time to improve image clarity.
Cosmological Constant: A term in Einstein's field equations that represents the energy density of empty space, related to dark energy.