# Mauna Kea Observatories

> collaboration of astronomical observatories in Hawaii

**Wikidata**: [Q831790](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q831790)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mauna_Kea_Observatories)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/mauna-kea-observatories

## Summary
Mauna Kea Observatories (MKO) is a collaboration of astronomical observatories located on Mauna Kea in Hawaii, United States. It is classified as both a research institute and an astronomical observatory, and is associated with the Maunakea Observatories website.

## Key Facts
- Mauna Kea Observatories is a collaboration of astronomical observatories in Hawaii.
- It is an instance of a **research institute** and an **astronomical observatory**.
- Country: **United States**; located in **Hawaii County** on the physical feature **Mauna Kea**.
- Coordinates: **19.82222, -155.47494**.
- Elevation above sea level: **4205 metres**.
- Inception: **1968**.
- Date of official opening: **1956**.
- Official website (English): **https://www.maunakeaobservatories.org/**.
- Has parts: **Submillimeter Array** and **Mauna Kea VLBA station**.

## FAQs
### Q: What is Mauna Kea Observatories?
A: Mauna Kea Observatories (MKO) is a collaboration of astronomical observatories in Hawaii. It is classified as both a research institute and an astronomical observatory.

### Q: Where is Mauna Kea Observatories located?
A: Mauna Kea Observatories is located on **Mauna Kea** in **Hawaii County**, United States. Its coordinates are **19.82222, -155.47494**, at an elevation of **4205 metres** above sea level.

### Q: When did Mauna Kea Observatories begin?
A: The inception date for Mauna Kea Observatories is **1968**. A separate listed date of official opening is **1956**.

### Q: What are some alternate names for Mauna Kea Observatories?
A: It is also known as **MKO** and has multilingual aliases including **Mauna Kea Observatory**, **Mauna Kea Observatorium**, **マウナケア天文台**, and **莫纳克亚山天文台**, among others.

### Q: What facilities are part of Mauna Kea Observatories?
A: Listed parts include the **Submillimeter Array** and the **Mauna Kea VLBA station**.

## Why It Matters
Mauna Kea Observatories matters because it represents a coordinated collaboration of astronomical observatories situated on Mauna Kea in Hawaii. As an entity classified both as a research institute and an astronomical observatory, it serves as an organizational and geographic focal point for scientific research activity at a high-elevation site (4205 metres above sea level). Its identification across multiple global authority systems (e.g., VIAF, GND, GeoNames, and Encyclopædia Britannica topic ID) indicates broad recognition and use in reference, cataloging, and knowledge organization contexts. The collaboration is also concretely defined by its associated components, including the Submillimeter Array and the Mauna Kea VLBA station, which anchor it to specific observational infrastructure. For users, researchers, and systems that need to disambiguate “Mauna Kea Observatory/Observatories,” MKO provides a canonical label, location, and set of identifiers that support consistent citation, linking, and retrieval across languages and databases.

## Notable For
- Being explicitly described as a **collaboration of astronomical observatories in Hawaii**.
- High-altitude location: **4205 metres** above sea level on **Mauna Kea**.
- Having identifiable component facilities, including the **Submillimeter Array** and **Mauna Kea VLBA station**.
- Broad cross-database identification (e.g., **VIAF 240106566**, **GND 4732526-4**, **GeoNames 5850915**, **Britannica topic ID**).
- Recognized with a **Minor Planet Center observatory code: 568**.

## Body
### Names and Identifiers
- Primary label (native label): **Maunakea Observatories**.
- Common aliases include:
  - **MKO**
  - **Mauna Kea Observatory**
  - **Mauna Kea UH 2.2 m**
  - **Observatoire du Mauna Kea**
  - **Mauna Kea Observatorium**
  - Japanese: **マウナケア天文台**, **マウナ・ケア天文台**, **マウナ・ケア天文台群**
  - Chinese: **莫纳克亚山天文台**, **冒納開亞天文台**
- Selected external identifiers:
  - **VIAF:** 240106566
  - **GND:** 4732526-4
  - **GeoNames:** 5850915
  - **Freebase:** /m/01njqp
  - **BabelNet:** 02028120n
  - **Encyclopædia Britannica Online:** topic/Mauna-Kea-Observatory (name string: “Mauna Kea Observatory”)
  - **Minor Planet Center observatory code:** 568

### Type and Description
- Wikidata description: **collaboration of astronomical observatories in Hawaii**.
- Instance of:
  - **research institute**
  - **astronomical observatory**

### Location and Physical Setting
- Country: **United States**.
- Administrative location: **Hawaii County**.
- Located in/on physical feature: **Mauna Kea**.
- Coordinates: **19.82222, -155.47494**.
- Elevation above sea level: **4205 m**.

### Dates
- Inception: **1968**.
- Date of official opening: **1956**.

### Components (Has Parts)
- **Submillimeter Array**
- **Mauna Kea VLBA station**

### Online Presence and Media
- Website (English): **https://www.maunakeaobservatories.org/**
- Instagram: **maunakeaobs**
- Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Mauna_Kea_Summit_2021-06-16_33_(cropped).jpg
- Wikimedia Commons:
  - Commons category: **Mauna Kea Observatory**
  - Commons gallery: **Mauna Kea Observatory**
  - Topic’s main category: **Category:Mauna Kea Observatory**

### Knowledge Base and Wikipedia Context
- Wikipedia title: **Mauna Kea Observatories**.
- Listed as on-focus list of a Wikimedia project: **Wikipedia:Vital articles/Level/4** (point in time: 2022-10-31).
- Sitelink count: **45**.

## References

1. Virtual International Authority File
2. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
3. GeoNames
4. [Source](https://www.maunakeaobservatories.org/about/)
5. BabelNet