Winter on Maunakea

Severe winter weather has been the rule on Maunakea over the past few weeks. More than half of the available nights in December were lost to a combination of snow, fog and dome icing. Additionally, on some of the open nights conditions were suitable only for band 4 programs. The weather has precluded obtaining science observations with the Near-infrared Integral Field Spectrometer (NIFS), which has been back on the telescope since 17 December 2021. The checkout of the laser system, which requires good weather, is still incomplete. 

Gemini North north-facing cloud camera on the night of 19 December 2021, showing Keck 2 and the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF) in the foreground and thunderheads over the north of the island in the background.

Gemini North in late December 2021. Lleft: view from the “fog camera” which we use to assess local cloud at night; middle: view from our remote camera mounted on the UH 88-inch dome; right: Gemini socked in as seen from the CFHT.