Mauna Kea Summit, Sunset and Stars: Two of the Black Hole Telescopes

The summit of Mauna Kea is the highest point in the Pacific, and the sunset from it is the reason most people book. What stands around you up there is the largest collection of research telescopes in the world. Two of the eight that produced the first images of a black hole are on this mountain. The guide covers the history of the Big Island on the way up. After dark comes the star show, run privately for your group, with a hot drink in hand. A professional Celestron telescope gets pointed at the planets, weather permitting, and a laser pointer is used to trace the sky. The part most tours do not have: the guide takes astrophotography shots of you with the company's DSLR and emails them afterwards. A usable photograph of yourself under that sky needs a camera you probably did not bring. Transport is a comfortable 4x4 passenger van. Jackets and gloves are provided, and you will want them, because the summit is cold in a way the coast never suggests. Mauna Kea is a sacred place, the home of the goddess Poli'ahu, and the guides treat it as one.