Running the Observatory: The Directors

Abstract

When Gerard Kuiper flew over Mauna Kea 30 years ago, looking down on the bald, desolate summit as a possible observatory site, he could hardly have visualized what we see there today. Not only has the observatory grown tremendously in the last few years, but with current projects, it will continue to grow for several more years. Strangely, though, it is different from most other observatory complexes. Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona, and the European Southern Observatory (ESO) in Chile both have many telescopes, but each is under a single administration. The observatories on Mauna Kea are not; they are separate research centers, and are administered separately. “It could be described as a research park,” said Bob McLaren, associate director for Mauna Kea of the Institute for Astronomy in Honolulu.