What is the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory?
The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory is located on the northwest rim of Kilauea caldera adjacent to the Jagger Museum. Because of its location within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, many people have the mistaken impression that the Observatory is administered by the National Park Service. The Observatory is actually part of the United States Geological Survey, a sister agency with the National Park Service, the Fish and Wildlife Service, and the newly created National Biological Survey in the Department of the Interior. Each of these agencies has personnel located inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The different observatories located on the Island of Hawaii also lead to some confusion, as we are constantly reminded by the many errant phone calls we receive concerning upcoming celestial events. The Mauna Kea Observatory consists of the various telescopes at the summit of Mauna Kea Volcano. The Mauna Loa Observatory is operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and
