Super-Kamiokande

Super-Kamiokande is a neutrino observatory buried 1,000 metres underground in the Mozumi Mine near Mount Ikeno, in the city of Hida, Gifu Prefecture, Japan.

About Super-Kamiokande

Also known as Super-K or SK, short for Super-Kamioka Neutrino Detection Experiment, it has operated since 1991 under the Institute for Cosmic Ray Research at the University of Tokyo, with an international team of collaborators.

Telescopes & research

Rather than an optical telescope, Super-Kamiokande is a Cherenkov detector built to catch high-energy neutrinos. Its research covers the search for proton decay, the study of solar and atmospheric neutrinos, and continuous watch for supernovae in the Milky Way.

Location & getting there

The detector sits deep beneath Mount Ikeno in Gifu Prefecture, in central Japan, chosen for the rock overburden that shields its instruments from cosmic ray interference. Use the map and directions button on this page for the general location.

Visiting Super-Kamiokande

As an active underground research facility, Super-Kamiokande is not a general public stargazing venue and we don't have confirmed public visiting information. Check the official website of the Institute for Cosmic Ray Research for any public outreach events before planning a trip.

See your named star from here

Super-Kamiokande is tuned to catch neutrinos rather than starlight, so it isn't a place to point a telescope at your named star. But the same right ascension and declination that identify a star named through Star Register can be found with an optical telescope at observatories elsewhere in our network. Name a star or browse the full catalogue of named stars.