More than two years after road access and electrical power to the Mauna Loa Observatory was cut off by lava flows, NOAA staff continue to make critical measurements of the atmosphere and other environmental variables at the remote site.
In 2023, observatory staff installed solar panels at the site and resumed some measurements, including the independent carbon dioxide monitoring programs run by the Global Monitoring Laboratory and Scripps Institution of Oceanography, as well as other atmospheric measurements.
Construction of a temporary road to access the observatory site is anticipated to begin in summer 2025.
Media can contact: Theo Stein (303) 819-7409 (theo.stein@noaa.gov)
Live Cameras
*Click images for larger views *Images update every 15 minutes
North Camera
Current image looking at north sky and Mauna Kea.
Southwest Camera
Current image looking at southwest sky and NDSC building.
Deck Camera
Sun deck of NDSC facing east. The ESRL solar tracker is in the middle, University of Denver building to the lower right.
Gate Camera
Current image looking at the access gate to the observatory.
Mauna Kea camera
Current image looking at south sky and Mauna Loa mountain. Camera is located in the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory's Submillimeter Array on Mauna Kea
See the South Pole!
Here is a live image from our sister station at the South Pole. (Amundsen-Scott station)
*Click on this Mauna Kea Cam link to see various images from the Mauna Kea Observatories