Halepōhaku - Onizuka Center for International Astronomy Astronomer's Mid-Level Facility — Local services in Hawaii

Lets be clear: This exact spot you just clicked on is NOT the observatory. This is the visitor center that is 4k feet below the actual observatory and the mark where most people stop ascending at. The reasons being are: 1) children under 13 are highly discouraged to go up any further, because 13k feet (4k meters) has really thin air and is hard to breathe in. 2) You MUST have a 4x4 car capable of riding up gravel road, as the road after this mark turns from paved to unpaved.

With that said, there is no shortage of observation spots to have a breathtaking view from. Just across the visitor center, there is a fairly high cliff you can climb to take beautiful pictures from. The climb at that elevation can be difficult, so keep that in mind and pace yourself when going up. If you are the type to get dizzy easy or pass out from loss of breath, don't go up the hill. There are no guard rails or safety nets or anything to stop you from falling off the cliff. There are plenty of people up there too, though, so don't worry about being all alone.

The visitor center parking lot has quite a good number of visitors there. Lots of star gazers want to take pictures or just come up to watch the bright stars and the milky way. This is one of those moment in life that EVERYONE MUST DO. People are fairly courteous and aside from a car leaving/coming here and there, there is absolute silence. The silence itself is a wonder to experience.

If you're lucky, you might run into someone who brought a small telescope with them. Sometimes they'd let you look through it if you ask nicely enough.

One thing's for sure: while adults can appreciate the Majesty of the stars and the milky way, the kids are just absolutely LOVE IT. I saw kids left and right express wonder, awe and excitement to see so many pretty lights in the sky where they never seen them before, and that's an experience all in...

The center is located about 9000 feet above sea level. The nearest source of light pollution is about 25 miles away. At night, the number of stars you can see is beyond words. Constellations you thought you knew disappear into the celestial abyss, washed out by thousands, if not millions, of other stars. This place might be something to see in the daytime but night time is when you need to go.

Bring a telescope and a camera with an adjustable shutter speeds. You are (usually) above the weather so you can see to infinity. Also, bring a warm jacket, pants and even a hat and gloves. Temps in the daytime are OK but at night they drop into the 40s when it is warm and well below freezing at times. Occasionally there is even snow.

Photos taken with my...

Sunset spot - right across the street from the Onizuka Center is a path leading left of a cluster of instruments up to Pu'u Kelemaunua from where you can see the sunset and the moon rise perfectly. You get more than a 180 degrees view from the top to enjoy both sides of the sunset. It gets windy up there but it's a pretty easy hike if you take your time with the elevation. Bring a flashlight just in case you want to see the stars from there and go back in the dark. Sometimes on the way back the moon is generating enough light but just to be safe. And as always be respectful on...