EVENTS
The Maunakea Astronomy Outreach Committee (MKAOC) coordinates the collective community outreach and engagement activities of observatories on Hawaiʻi Island. MKAOC offers family-friend events; ʻāina-based events; and educational opportunities to learn about astronomy, science, and Hawaiian culture.
Community Calendar
Join us for Stargazing!
The Maunakea Visitor Information Station offers free stargazing at an elevation of 9,200 feet (2800 meters). Click here for more information.
Partner Event: Planetarium Guest Speaker: Hitoshi Murayama
Join ʻImiloa and planetarium guest speaker Hitoshi Murayama for “Subaru’s Prime Focus Spectrograph: A New Compound Eye Gazing at the Universe.” Dr. Murayama is a well-known theoretical particle physicist, professor of physics at UC Berkeley, and the founding director of the Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (Kavli IPMU) at the University of Tokyo.
About the Talk:
Where do we come from? Where are we going? These questions are common to the entire humankind, and especially deeply rooted in Polynesian and East Asian cultures. We built a new $100M instrument to study these questions mounted on the Subaru telescope atop Maunakea. It will explore how stars and galaxies are born in the gravitational womb of dark matter. It will study how the universe has been expanding and where it is going, or whether it will end. These grand questions can be studied only thanks to the pristine environment and public support on Hawaiʻi Island. The prime focus spectrograph will have 2400 eyes on the universe to conduct these studies which would have taken 1000 years otherwise.
Partner Event: Exploring Comet 3I/ATLAS: A Rare Encounter with an Interstellar Visitor
Join the Shadow the Scientists initiative for an exciting special event as Bryce Bolin (Eureka Scientific), Laura-May Abron (Griffith Observatory), and Matthew Belyakov (Caltech) use the Gemini Observatory North to observe comet 3I/ATLAS, a rare interstellar object passing through our solar system!
As only the third confirmed visitor from beyond our solar neighborhood, 3I/ATLAS offers an extraordinary opportunity to study material that formed around another star. Ejected from its original system millions to billions of years ago, the comet recently entered our solar system from the direction of the constellation Sagittarius, near the Milky Way’s galactic center.
In this special observing session, astronomers will attempt to capture some of the first post-perihelion observations of comet 3I/ATLAS, following its reemergence from behind the Sun. Building on Gemini South data from August, the team aims to detect chemical signatures in the gas it emits to learn about the comet’s composition, physical state, and evolution.
Supported by the Gemini North science and outreach staff and leading experts in comets and interstellar visitors, this event offers one of the closest looks yet of this enigmatic interstellar visitor!
Partner Event: Hālau ʻŌkupu: Manu
ʻImiloa's Halau ʻOkupu Play and Learn is a unique Place-based and Play-Based Enrichment Program designed for keiki (Ages 1-4) along with a max of 2 caregivers per toddler.
ʻOkupu refers to young sprouts or the new shoots of a plant sent out to grow. ʻImiloa invites parents and caregivers to come explore with their young sprouts in an environment that fosters learning through curiosity, exploration, and play! Through a variety of activities, including gross and small motor skill exercises, sensory exploration, dramatic play, movement activities, and arts and crafts, keiki are encouraged to actively engage while developing essential skills. These engaging experiences are specially developed to provide opportunities for keiki and their caregivers to foster stronger connections to their island home and community. Join ʻImiloa on this exciting journey of discovery and growth at Halau ʻOkupu Play and Learn!
Member Admission: $20 (includes one child and supervising adult)
General Admission: $30 (includes one child and supervising adult)
Public Astronomy Talk with 5-time Astronaut & Astronomer John Grunsfeld
Join W.M. Keck Observatory for a free, ʻohana-friendly public astronomy talk with 5-time astronaut and astronomer Dr. John Grunsfeld on Thursday, November 13, at 7:00 p.m. at Kahilu Theatre in Waimea. Doors open at 6:45 p.m., and seating is first come. The Public Astronomy Talks at Keck Observatory are graciously sponsored by the Rob and Terry Ryan Foundation and are free and open to the public.
From the Hubble Space Telescope to the Habitable Worlds Observatory
The Hubble Space Telescope story has been a fascinating study in public policy, engineering, ethics, and science. The Hubble is perhaps the most productive scientific instrument ever created by humans. In May 2009, a team of astronauts flew to the Hubble Space Telescope on space shuttle Atlantis. On their 13-day mission and over the course of 5 spacewalks, they completed an extreme makeover of the orbiting observatory. They installed the Wide Field Camera-3, the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph, repaired the Advanced Camera for Surveys and the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph, as well as a number of maintenance activities. These Hubble spacewalks are considered the most challenging and complex efforts ever of people working in space.
Now, 16 years later, the Hubble is still going strong. Building on the servicing heritage of Hubble, the Habitable Worlds Observatory is in the initial planning stages and promises to be a worthy successor to Hubble. As part of the design, the Habitable Worlds Observatory will be serviceable, albeit by robotic means. The adventures of Hubble servicing and the future Habitable Worlds Observatory will be presented in this talk.
AstroDay Kona 2025
Learners of all ages are invited to Kona Commons Shopping Center on Saturday, November 8, for an entertainment-filled day of astronomy and natural sciences. AstroDay Kona is a FREE, open-air event sponsored by the Maunakea Observatories. Join us for an interactive day of learning that will feature family-friendly activities, free giveaways, science demonstrations, and educational fun for all ages.
This year, attendees can use a solar telescope to safely view the surface of the sun, courtesy of the UH Institute for Astronomy, and keiki will be able to enter the Maunakea Coin Contest (open to grades K through 12)!
The Hawaiian Volcano Education & Resilience Institute will also be hosting a special activity called “Elephant Toothpaste,” where keiki will learn how trapped gas can lead to the differences between Hawaiian-style shield volcanoes and explosive, strata-type volcanoes.
Astronomy On Tap Hawaiʻi
Astronomy on Tap Hawai’i is back on November 6th from 7-9 pm at Hilo Town Tavern! We have two new amazing speakers: Felipe Olivares (Institute for Astronomy) and Jasmin Silva (CFHT), who will tell us about the cosmic surf report and how to take apart a 3.6m telescope. Come and join us for a fun night of astronomy and play in our quiz to win prizes!
This event is completely free and open to everyone.
Partner Event: Hālau ʻŌkupu: Loko Iʻa - Hawaiian Fishponds
'Imiloa's Halau 'Okupu Play and Learn is a unique Place-based and Play-Based Enrichment Program designed for keiki (Ages 1-4) along with a max of 2 caregivers per toddler.
‘Okupu refers to young sprouts or the new shoots of a plant sent out to grow. ʻImiloa invites parents and caregivers to come explore with their young sprouts in an environment that fosters learning through curiosity, exploration, and play! Through a variety of activities, including gross and small motor skill exercises, sensory exploration, dramatic play, movement activities, and arts and crafts, keiki are encouraged to actively engage while developing essential skills. These engaging experiences are specially developed to provide opportunities for keiki and their caregivers to foster stronger connections to their island home and community. Join ʻImiloa on this exciting journey of discovery and growth at Halau 'Okupu Play and Learn!
Member Admission: $20 (includes one child and supervising adult)
General Admission: $30 (includes one child and supervising adult)
Partner Event: Halloween at ʻImiloa: A Carnival of Bugs
Get ready for a spooky and spectacular time at this year’s Halloween event, where the spotlight is on Hawai‘i’s native, endemic, and invasive insects! Join us for a fun-filled evening of interactive games, creative crafts, and hands-on educational activities that bring to life the vital role bugs play in our island ecosystems. Whether you're crawling with curiosity or just looking for some family-friendly Halloween fun, this event is sure to entertain, engage, and inspire a new appreciation for Hawai‘i’s tiniest – and most important – creatures. Come celebrate the creepy, the crawly, and the crucial this Halloween!
Member Admission: $10 (4 and under free)
General Admission: $16 (4 and under free)
Partner Event: Hālau ʻŌkupu: Halloween Toddler Bug Club
ʻImiloa proudly introduces Halau ʻOkupu Play and Learn, a unique Place-based and Play-Based Enrichment Program designed for keiki (Ages 1-4), along with a max of 2 caregivers per toddler. ʻOkupu refers to young sprouts or the new shoots of a plant sent out to grow. ʻImiloa invites parents and caregivers to come explore with their young sprouts in an environment that fosters learning through curiosity, exploration, and play!
Through a variety of activities, including gross and small motor skill exercises, sensory exploration, dramatic play, movement activities, and arts and crafts, keiki are encouraged to actively engage while developing essential skills. These engaging experiences are specially developed to provide opportunities for keiki and their caregivers to foster stronger connections to their island home and community.
Member Admission: $20 (includes one child and supervising adult)
General Admission: $30 (includes one child and one supervising adult)
Journey through
the Universe
For the past 20 years, Journey Through the Universe has been Hawaiʻi Island’s preeminent astronomy education and outreach program, inspiring students to explore science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) in the classroom and beyond.
AstroDay
AstroDay is a free community science and astronomy event supported by the Maunakea Astronomy Outreach Committee (MKAOC). AstroDay coincides with Astronomy Day, an international grassroots movement to share the joy of astronomy with local communities.
Families and schools are invited to join AstroDay events in both Hilo and Kona for exhibits, demonstrations, activities, and entertainment designed to inspire the next generation of astronomers.
Maunakea
Coin Contest
Every year, Hawaiʻi Island K-12 students have the opportunity to design the Maunakea collector’s coin. From hundreds of entries, one lucky winner’s design is selected by a panel of judges and gets printed on that year’s coin! The bronze collector’s coin is available at the First Light Bookstore at the Visitor Information Station on Maunakea, and aluminum versions of the coin are available at Maunakea Astronomy Outreach Committee events throughout the year.
Solar System Walk
This annual event transforms Waimea town into a scale model of our solar system and invites Hawaiʻi Island community to enjoy a day of outdoor education and astronomical fun.
