MEDIA ADVISORY: UH Telescope on Maunakea to earn global honor

UH88 telescope

UH88 with Robo-AO2 instrumentation mounted. Credit: C. Baranec

Ceremony to be held at 3 p.m. at UH Hilo’s Institute for Astronomy 

WHAT: The University of Hawaiʻi’s 2.2-meter (88-inch) telescope on Maunakea, known as UH88, will be recognized by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) as an IEEE milestone, joining a notable list of technologies that changed the world. The telescope was the first computer-controlled telescope when it was dedicated in 1970. Its legacy includes innovations that have shaped astronomy worldwide, including technology used on NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope.

Bronze plaque dedication ceremony will be held. Members of the media are invited to attend.

WHEN: Thursday, June 26
             Ceremony begins at 3:00 p.m.

WHERE: Institute for Astronomy auditorium – UH Hilo, 640 N. Aʻohōkū Place, Hilo, HI 

WHO: 

• UH Institute for Astronomy leadership
• Hawaiʻi state lawmakers, including Sen. Lorraine Inouye
• IEEE representatives
• UH astronomers and engineers 

WHY: This is the first IEEE Milestone on Hawaiʻi Island. Other IEEE milestones in Hawaiʻi include revolutionary wireless communication technology ALOHAnet developed at UH Mānoa nearly 50 years ago and the original electric lights at ʻIolani Palace.