Public has 2 more weeks to comment on proposed UH Hilo teaching telescope  

University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo
Contact:
Dan Meisenzahl , (808) 348-4936
Spokesperson, UH Communications
Posted: Oct 12, 2020

UH Hilo Astronomy Assoc. Professor R. Pierre Martin with the new educational telescope.
UH Hilo Astronomy Assoc. Professor R. Pierre Martin with the new educational telescope.
Artistʻs rendering of new telescope on proposed site (does not reflect what project might look like)
Artistʻs rendering of new telescope on proposed site (does not reflect what project might look like)

Link to video and sound (details below): https://bit.ly/307IIHh 

The public has two more weeks to participate in a virtual open house by University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo to learn about the university’s proposed 28-inch educational telescope at Halepōhaku, the mid-level facility on Maunakea. The educational telescope will be available to UH students, faculty and the community and will replace UH Hilo’s Hōkū Keʻa telescope on the summit of Maunakea that is currently being decommissioned.

UH Hilo announced the launch of the month-long virtual open house on September 26. The virtual open house runs through October 26 and provides information on the proposed telescope, the proposed site, and a tentative project timeline. Public review and feedback is strongly encouraged and comments can be submitted to the virtual open house website and will be used to finalize the proposal before the planning and permitting process begins. 

“We want this to be as open and transparent as possible and public feedback is key in our stewardship of UH managed lands on Maunakea,” said UH Hilo Chancellor Bonnie Irwin. “This teaching telescope will be a tremendous educational tool for our students, and the wider community, to engage in hands-on, world-class research.”

UH Hilo purchased a 28 inch state-of-the-art telescope and remotely-operated dome to replace the non-working one on the summit. UH Hilo is looking for another site to house this telescope.  

The new telescope will train students across the UH system in modern observational techniques, provide opportunities for undergraduate research, and allow users to gain experience in telescope operations, according to the university’s proposal. The students will be able to monitor a wide array of phenomena including asteroids, comets and supernovas, which would be invaluable for those seeking a career in astronomy. UH students and faculty will utilize the telescope for laboratories and research projects as well as outreach events and programs involving the community. UH Hilo will also work closely with local high schoolers and the community to develop opportunities in conducting observations with the educational telescope.

The UH Hilo Hōkū Keʻa on Maunakea is one of the two observatory facilities on the summit that is currently being decommissioned. It is anticipated the decommissioning of Hōkū Keʻa will be completed in 2023 and the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory to be completed in 2022.

VIDEO BROLL: (36 seconds)

  • 0:00-0:12 - New UH Hilo educational telescope 
  • 0:12-0:24 - Renderings of telescope on proposed site at Halepōhaku  

  • 0:24-0:30 - Hōkū Keʻa telescope on Maunakea summit under decommissioning

  • 0:30-0:36 - another shot of Hōkū Keʻa telescope on Maunakea summit under decommissioning


SOUNDBITES: 

Bonnie Irwin/Chancellor, University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo (13 seconds)

“We want this process to be as open and transparent as possible and public feedback is a really big part of that, both for the project for the UH Hilo teaching telescope as well as generally, our stewardship of the mountain.”

(14 seconds)

“One of our hallmarks at UH Hilo is hands-on applied learning and this new telescope will be a great tool for us to use to bring world-class astronomy both to our students here at UH Hilo as well as to the wider community.”