Submillimeter Array

telescope array, Mauna Kea, Hawaii, United States

Also known as: SMA

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July 19, 2026

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The Submillimeter Array (SMA) is an astronomical observatory located near the summit of Mauna Kea, Hawaii, at an elevation of 4,080 meters (13,385 feet). This facility, completed in 2003, is a collaboration between the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and Taiwan's Academia Sinica. The SMA consists of an eight-element array of 6-meter (20-foot) dishes designed to observe at wavelengths as short as 0.3 mm (0.01 inch). Its location on Mauna Kea provides exceptional viewing conditions due to its high elevation, dry air, and clear skies, making it ideal for observing astronomical objects that emit radiation at far-infrared wavelengths.12

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Radio telescope arrays
…Sinica of Taiwan, completed the Submillimeter Array (SMA), located near the summit of Mauna Kea, Hawaii, at an elevation of 4,080 metres (13,385 feet). This is an eight-element array of 6-metre (20-foot) dishes designed to work at wavelengths as short as 0.3 mm (0.01 inch). A major new international facility—managed…
Read More
…Sinica of Taiwan, completed the Submillimeter Array (SMA), located near the summit of Mauna Kea, Hawaii, at an elevation of 4,080 metres (13,385 feet). This is an eight-element array of 6-metre (20-foot) dishes designed to work at wavelengths as short as 0.3 mm (0.01 inch). A major new international facility—managed…
Read More