4 ms·
Mountains within large mountain ranges are not as good as a (relatively) isolated peak like Mauna Kea. An isolated peak can have something resembling laminar
by PopePompus 7y ago
Mountains within large mountain ranges are not as good as a (relatively) isolated peak like Mauna Kea. An isolated peak can have something resembling laminar flow of the air over the summit, resulting in good "seeing", whilst a peak within a large range has a more turbulent air flow above it.
- GlennS 7y agoMuana Kea also has a (permanent?) tropical inversion layer. This means a layer of warm air some way below the summit. What it looks like in practice is a very thick layer of dirty clouds topped by pristine, cloudless air. Additionally, Hawaii has strict rules about light pollution, and street lights designed not to disrupt the telescopes.