Behind every astronomical discovery are the stories and experiences of the people who made it possible. Explore the latest from across the Maunakea Observatories.
STORIES
Listening Across the Pae ʻĀina: 2026 MKSOA Community Workshops
In early 2026, the Mauna Kea Stewardship and Oversight Authority (MKSOA) hosted ten community engagement workshops across the state as a key part of the Authority’s active planning process, gathering input directly from community members to inform the development of a new Maunakea management plan.
These workshops created spaces to listen, connect, talk story, and reflect on the future stewardship of Maunakea with a focus on access and aspiration.
Hawaiian Skies: Welo 2026
The night sky is full of stories, lessons, and wisdom that have been passed down for generations. Leilehua Yuen takes us through these stories and more in her Hawaiian Skies series, guiding us through the moʻolelo of the constellations. During the Hawaiian Month of Welo (April 18 - May 16), explore family traits and relationships of huihui and ulu hōkū through the moʻolelo or moʻo hōkū, storylines, which connect them.
The Sylvester Family: Three Generations of Astronomy
Tony Sylvester and his son, Anthony, stand in the Gemini base facility control room watching a familiar sight unfold: images of a windswept Maunakea summit viewed from multiple angles. They are the second and third generations of the Sylvester family to work in astronomy on Maunakea and, between the two of them, have a combined 36 years working on the mauna.
UH Hilo, Canada-France-Hawaiʻi Telescope, and Université Laval Collaborate to Simulate Galaxy Collision
A new study co-authored by Camille Poitras, Dr. R. Pierre Martin of the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, and colleagues at Université Laval (Québec, Canada) simulates the past, present, and future of a collision between two spiral galaxies, using Canada-France-Hawaiʻi Telescope data. Discoveries like these speak to the importance of undergraduate research experience and international collaboration.
Hawaiian Skies: Nana 2026
The night sky is full of stories, lessons, and wisdom that have been passed down for generations. Leilehua Yuen takes us through these stories and more in her Hawaiian Skies series, guiding us through the moʻolelo of the constellations. Learn why some stars in the sky during the Hawaiian month of Nana (March 19 - April 17) share names and how Leilehua hunts down the original meaning behind them.
Maunakea Scholars program celebrates 10-year anniversary
By Stefan Verbano for Hawaiʻi Tribune Herald
Started during the 2015-2016 school year, Maunakea Scholars celebrates its 10-year anniversary this year. It’s an innovative, one-of-a-kind program giving public high school students across the state a competitive chance to conduct research at Maunakea’s telescope array — something the program’s administrators have affectionately dubbed “telescope time.”
Community Astronomy and Mutual Stewardship at the AAS Winter Meeting
Maunakea Observatories, ʻImiloa Astronomy Center, and the Hawaiʻi I Ke Alo Mutual Stewardship Project, in partnership with the American Astronomical Society (AAS), convened a three-day, in-person summit focused on implementing community models of astronomy and mutual stewardship.
Astronaut Ellison Onizuka Day Returns to Hilo!
For the first time in five years, Astronaut Ellison Onizuka Science Day returned to the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo (UHH). Nearly 350 students and adults explored science, astronomy, and Hawaiian culture at this community event celebrating Ellison’s incredible legacy as Hawai‘i’s first astronaut and the first Asian American astronaut to reach space.
Hawaiian Skies: Kaulua 2026
The night sky is full of stories, lessons, and wisdom that have been passed down for generations. Leilehua Yuen takes us through these stories and more in her Hawaiian Skies series, guiding us through the moʻolelo of the constellations. Learn about the stories taking place in the sky during Kaulua (February 18 - March 18), a month figuratively named for its fickle weather.
Journey Through the Universe Observes 22 Years
Hawaiʻi Island’s largest astronomy education program, Journey Through the Universe, hosted its 22nd year of classroom visits, career panels, and community events in a fun-filled week, February 2 to 6, 2026 (Spring Journey Week). Throughout the week, 46 volunteer educators from the Maunakea Observatories, NASA, various universities, and more shared stellar hands-on experiences at local schools and inspired over 3,000 students to explore science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM) in classrooms ranging from second to 12th grade.
ʻŌnohiʻula: Subaru Telescope’s PFS Instrument Receives Hawaiian Name
The new Prime Focus Spectrograph (PFS) at the Subaru Telescope on Maunakea was gifted the Hawaiian name ʻŌnohiʻula, officially presented by Dr. Larry Kimura. ʻŌnohiʻula carries multiple layers of meanings — ʻŌnohi communicating how the instrument perceives the cosmos like an eye, and ʻula meaning red, and its association with the sacred realm of origin in Hawaiian culture.
Hawaiian Skies: Kāʻelo 2026
The night sky is full of stories, lessons, and wisdom that have been passed down for generations. Leilehua Yuen takes us through these stories and more in her Hawaiian Skies series, guiding us through the moʻolelo of the constellations. Learn about the names of the stars in the sky during the Hawaiian month of Kāʻelo (January 19 - February 17), a month that shares its name with a star that is also known as Betelgeuse.
“Not Our Everyday Supernova”: Superluminous Supernova Brings Together Collaborators Across the World
A global team of researchers has coalesced around the discovery of one of the most distant, extremely bright supernovae ever found, highlighting the collaborative nature of modern astronomy. The unique benefits of Maunakea as a site for cosmos exploration and the unparalleled power of W.M. Keck Observatory’s instruments made this discovery possible.
A New Instrument to Rapidly Characterize Near-Earth Asteroids
A new instrument being built for NASA’s Infrared Telescope Facility will help astronomers quickly study near-Earth asteroids, providing critical information about their composition and potential hazards.
Hawaiian Skies: Hikikauʻelia 2025
The night sky is full of stories, lessons, and wisdom that have been passed down for generations. Leilehua Yuen takes us through these stories and more in her Hawaiian Skies series, guiding us through the moʻolelo of the constellations. During the Hawaiian month of Hikikauʻelia (December 20 - January 18), Leilehua is taking us through the names of the stars and their meanings and uses, as well as sharing a chance for stargazing with your ʻohana on December 26!
Subaru and Keck Help Discover Two Rare Companions in Distant Solar Systems
As part of the new OASIS program, Subaru Telescope and W.M. Keck Observatory helped discover two rare companions orbiting distant stars — a giant planet, and a brown dwarf that could play a starring role in NASA’s new Roman Space Telescope.
Akamai Internship Kicks Off 2026 Recruitment Following Stellar 2025 Cohort
Applications are open for the 2026 Akamai Internship Program, a cornerstone of Hawaiʻi’s STEM workforce development for 22 years. In summer 2025, the program supported 33 interns, each matched with a Hawaiʻi-based observatory — including 15 at Maunakea Observatories — for an immersive internship experience. Step inside the 2025 cohort and learn about their innovation and impact at the Maunakea Observatories.
Maunakea Observatories Join in the Fun at AstroDay West 2025
Families and keiki got a chance to explore the cosmos at this year’s AstroDay West at Kona Commons, hosted by Maunakea Observatories.
Students in Hawaiʻi Name Mesmerizing Image Ua ʻŌhiʻa Lani for the International Gemini Observatory’s 25th Anniversary
To celebrate 25 years since the completion of the International Gemini Observatory, students in Hawai‘i voted for the Gemini North telescope to image NGC 6820 — a striking emission nebula and open star cluster. The image was named Ua ʻŌhiʻa Lani, which means the Heavenly ʻŌhiʻa Rains. The International Gemini Observatory is partly funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and operated by NSF NOIRLab.
Hawaiian Skies: Makaliʻi 2025
The night sky is full of stories, lessons, and wisdom that have been passed down for generations. Leilehua Yuen takes us through these stories and more in her Hawaiian Skies series, guiding us through the moʻolelo of the constellations. During the Hawaiian month of Makaliʻi (November 21 - December 19), Leilehua is sharing the story of Makaliʻi, the great navigator, diving into the many names given to the stars above us and their possible origins, and more.