Mauna Kea — a mountain peak in Hawaii County, Hawaii — is a popular subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Honoka‘a, about 29 km (18 mi) away (Mauna Kea lies S of town).
Mauna Kea (, Hawaiian: [ˈmɐwnə ˈkɛjə]; abbreviation for Mauna a Wākea, 'White Mountain') is a dormant shield volcano on the island of Hawaiʻi. Its peak is 13,803 feet (4,207.3 meters) above sea level, making it the highest point in Hawaii and the island with the second highest high point, behind New Guinea. The peak is about 125 ft (38 m) higher than Mauna Loa, its more massive neighbor. Mauna Kea is unusually topographically prominent for its height: its prominence from sea level is 15th in the world among mountains, at 13,803 ft (4,207.3 m); its prominence from under the ocean is 30,610 ft (9,330 m), rivaled only by Mount Everest. This dry prominence is greater than Everest's height above sea level of 8,848.86 metres or 29,031.7 feet, and some authorities have labeled Mauna Kea the tallest mountain in the world, from its underwater base. Mauna Kea is ranked 8th by topographic isolation.From the Wikipedia article “Mauna Kea”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mauna Kea the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 65° (ENE) at the June solstice and 115° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 295° (WNW) in June to 245° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 86° in summer but only 47° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:27 AM | 90° E | 6:34 PM | 270° W | 70° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:45 AM | 65° ENE | 7:04 PM | 295° WNW | 86° | 13h 20m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:12 AM | 89° E | 6:19 PM | 271° W | 70° | 12h 08m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 6:53 AM | 115° ESE | 5:49 PM | 245° WSW | 47° | 10h 56m |
Azimuth is measured clockwise from true north (90° = east, 270° = west). Computed for 2026; values change by less than a degree from year to year.
Golden hour & blue hour by month
Summits catch first and last light — alpenglow can turn rock pink or orange minutes before sunrise and after sunset while valleys stay in shadow.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:36 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:32 AM | 5:32 PM | 6:04 PM | 6:27 PM | 11h 04m |
| February | 6:29 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:22 AM | 5:52 PM | 6:22 PM | 6:45 PM | 11h 30m |
| March | 6:09 AM | 6:31 AM | 7:00 AM | 6:03 PM | 6:32 PM | 6:54 PM | 12h 01m |
| April | 5:42 AM | 6:04 AM | 6:34 AM | 6:11 PM | 6:40 PM | 7:03 PM | 12h 36m |
| May | 5:23 AM | 5:47 AM | 6:18 AM | 6:21 PM | 6:51 PM | 7:15 PM | 13h 04m |
| June | 5:19 AM | 5:44 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:31 PM | 7:03 PM | 7:27 PM | 13h 19m |
| July | 5:28 AM | 5:52 AM | 6:23 AM | 6:34 PM | 7:05 PM | 7:29 PM | 13h 13m |
| August | 5:40 AM | 6:03 AM | 6:33 AM | 6:22 PM | 6:51 PM | 7:14 PM | 12h 48m |
| September | 5:48 AM | 6:10 AM | 6:39 AM | 5:57 PM | 6:26 PM | 6:48 PM | 12h 16m |
| October | 5:55 AM | 6:17 AM | 6:47 AM | 5:30 PM | 5:59 PM | 6:22 PM | 11h 42m |
| November | 6:08 AM | 6:31 AM | 7:03 AM | 5:12 PM | 5:43 PM | 6:07 PM | 11h 12m |
| December | 6:26 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:22 AM | 5:14 PM | 5:46 PM | 6:10 PM | 10h 56m |
Local time (Pacific/Honolulu), including daylight saving time. Golden hour runs from about −4° to +6° solar altitude, so the morning golden hour begins during blue hour, before sunrise.
Milky Way & night sky
From Mauna Kea, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 7.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 41° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 2 (typical truly dark site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| February | 4:06 AM – 5:36 AM | 1.5 | 27° | SE → SE |
| March | 2:15 AM – 5:15 AM | 3.0 | 38° | SE → SSE |
| April | 12:16 AM – 4:46 AM | 4.5 | 41° | SE → S |
| May | 10:11 PM – 4:21 AM | 6.2 | 41° | SE → SSW |
| June | 8:27 PM – 4:17 AM | 7.8 | 41° | SE → SW |
| July | 8:27 PM – 2:47 AM | 6.3 | 41° | SSE → SW |
| August | 8:09 PM – 12:49 AM | 4.7 | 41° | S → SW |
| September | 7:39 PM – 10:49 PM | 3.2 | 38° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:13 PM – 8:53 PM | 1.7 | 27° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -17° | — |
Window when the galactic core is at least 10° high during astronomical darkness on the 15th of each month. Pick nights within a few days of the new moon. Plan exact nights with the Milky Way planner.
Estimated sky darkness: 2 Bortle 2 — Typical truly dark site. The summer Milky Way shows rich structure; clouds look like black holes in the stars. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.85 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show January as the clearest month (about 50% average cloud cover) and March as the cloudiest (62%). August is the warmest month and February the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.
Average cloud cover (%)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °F | 79 | 77 | 78 | 76 | 79 | 81 | 80 | 83 | 82 | 79 | 78 | 76 |
| Low °F | 50 | 46 | 48 | 52 | 53 | 55 | 56 | 56 | 56 | 56 | 53 | 50 |
| Precip. (in) | 5.6 | 6.6 | 8.6 | 7.7 | 5.4 | 4.2 | 4.7 | 5.4 | 4.8 | 5.3 | 6.7 | 6.6 |
Monthly climatology for the surrounding 1° grid cell from NASA POWER (MERRA-2). Mountain sites can be colder and cloudier than the cell average.
Photography tips for this mountain peak
- Alpenglow lasts only a few minutes; set up and focus beforehand.
- Clouds around the summit add drama — a clear blue sky is often the least interesting condition.
- Photograph the peak from a lake, meadow or ridge at sunrise when the face that looks east lights up first.
- Long lenses compress ridgelines; shoot the peak from several miles away to make it look massive.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
Season: Early summer keeps snow on the peaks with green valleys below; autumn adds aspen or larch color in many ranges.
Suggested gear: Telephoto lens, Lightweight tripod, Warm layers, Microspikes in shoulder seasons. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Mauna Kea, closest first.
Lake
Volcano
State Park
National Wildlife Refuge
Volcano
Botanical GardenFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mauna Kea?
What time is golden hour at Mauna Kea?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mauna Kea?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mauna Kea?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mauna Kea?
How far is Mauna Kea from Honoka‘a?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, Wikipedia. Sun, moon and Milky Way times are computed by LWPhoto Atlas for 2026. Climate: NASA POWER. Sky darkness is a population-based estimate (Walker's law), not a measurement. See data sources & licenses.