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If you like outer space, stars and astronomy, the island of Hawaii has some especially fun things for you and your family:
Visit the Telescopes of Mauna Kea
The 13,796 foot summit of Mauna Kea has the largest number of telescopes in the world and has the clearest view of the skies of any location on earth for optical telescopes. The reason is that the air is dry and pollution-free. The island has controlled light pollution by using special street lights to keep light from impacting the telescopes.
Driving on up to the telescopes can be hazardous due to road conditions, weather, and potential health impacts due to the high altitude of the summit. There are tours to the Mauna Kea telescopes which may be the easiest and safest way to get up close to the telescopes.
If you want to drive yourself, the Onizuka Center for International Astronomy Center is the visitor’s center to the Mauna Kea telescopes. The center is located at the 9,200-foot level on the Mauna Kea access road. Here is a look at the drive up to the visitors center. The visitors center hosts sky viewing parties on weekends by amateur astronomy clubs. Check their website for any events at the visitors center.
You can check on the weather on Mauna Kea Weather and see the telescopes via CAMs on line
To learn more about the telescopes on the Island of Hawaii and their current activities visit their web sites:
Keck Observatory
Joint Astronomy Centre
Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope
Subaru Telescope
Gemini Observatory
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Visit 'Imiloa Astronomy Center
‘Imiloa Astronomy Center is on 9 acres above the University of Hawaii Hilo campus. It has the only 3D planetarium in the world as well as a huge number of interactive displays about the universe, telescopes, and Hawaiian history related to the stars and navigation.
The center has a cafe that serves breakfast and lunch and is open for dinner whenever there is an evening show.
The lobby has a gift shop with books by local astronomers and cool astronomy stuff.
'Imiloa has 40,000 square feet of planetarium and exhibition space and was funded primarily by NASA. The hands-on exhibits and movies are very well produced and fun for kids and adults. We keep going back over and over again and can't get enough.
A mockup of the Gemini telescope control center is in the center and is really fun to play with. It gives a good idea of all the things needed to be done to control the telescope.
The planetarium shows are twice daily and on the weekends there are often special evening shows. The 3D effect is produced by special glasses.
The shows are put on by the center's astronomers and sometimes guest astronomers that explain their recent findings using the planetarium equipment which allows them to graphically show what part of space they are studying.
Astronomy is a whole new world of vocabulary, object types, and technology. Check the center's web site for their current shows and times.
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Visit the Onizuka Space Center
Astronaut Ellison S Onizuka Space Center is located at the Kona airport. The center is an educational facility dedicated to the memory of Hawaii’s first astronaut who died on the Challenger Mission in 1986. The Onizuka Space Center has exhibits and videos about the history of space flight and living in space.
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copyright 2008
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