The ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center in Hilo and the Onizuka Center for International Astronomy at the Mauna Kea Visitor Center are fascinating and family-friendly, as is the Bishop Museum Watamull Planetarium on Oahu. They provide an invaluable resource for Hawaii students and a wonderful opportunity for visitors to learn about Hawaii astronomy and native Hawaiian culture. What western astronomers call the constellation Pleiades is known in Hawaiian as Makalii, and it figures prominently in annual Makahiki celebrations.Īccess to Hawaii’s summit observatories is severely restricted to astronomers and support staff, but others around the state are open to the public. King Kamehameha the Great was born in 1758. The return of Halley’s comet in Hawaii skies in 1758 was said to foretell the birth a great king who would unite the islands. The sun, moon, and stars are central to Hawaiian myth and legend. Hawaiian heiau (sacred temple sites) are oriented to the sun and stars. But they have nothing to do with Greek or Roman mythology, obviously, and certainly do not involve venomous arachnids, galactic crustaceans, celestial saucepans, or ill-tempered three-headed dogs. Native Hawaiians have their own constellations, just as “western” astronomers do. Polynesian navigators used the stars on their voyages, including the one that brought the first humans who would ultimately settle in the Hawaiian Archipelago. Galactic eyes on the skies.Īnd while technological advances and Space Age headlines from Hawaii grab the world’s attention, it’s important to remember that native Hawaiians have been studying the movements of the stars and planets for more than a thousand years. There is a long list of discoveries and “firsts” at the Keck Observatories and other facilities at the summit of Mauna Kea on the Big Island. Hawaii telescopes and observatories are uniquely positioned to benefit from low light pollution and provide scientists with some of the keenest galactic eyes on the planet. The Pan-STARRS telescope was also among the first to spot the ‘Oumuamua space object in 2017, thus the Hawaiian name for it as determined by the International Astronomical Union. But the discovery does have us thinking about the importance of the modern astronomy being done at Hawaii’s many observatories, the remarkable discoveries they’ve made, and the importance of astronomy in native Hawaiian culture and cosmology. The asteroid is expected to continue is path for at least another 4000 years, so we needn’t fear the end times of the Hollywood blockbuster disaster trope. 2020 XL5 was first viewed in 2020, but peer-reviewed studies have only recently confirmed the findings of the Pan-STARRS telescope astronomers. The ideal conditions to find them happen just a handful of times each month. This is significant discovery for a variety of reasons, not least among being the fact that Trojan asteroids are exceedingly hard to find. The space object has been named 2020 XL5. Trojan asteroids are unique in that they share earth’s orbit around the sun. If you are heading to the Kīpahulu Area, the last place to get gas along the Hāna Highway before Hāna is in the town of Pāʻia.Hawaii Accommodations & Dining Hawaii Animals & Nature Hawaii Beaches & Ocean Hawaii Culture & Happenings Hawaii Hiking & Outdoors Hawaii Travel & Vacation InfoĪstronomers at an observatory at the summit of Haleakala on Maui have quietly made an important discovery: a previously unknown “Trojan” near-earth asteroid that is the largest yet discovered (about ¾ of a mile in diameter). Even electric vehicles with a full charge have been unable to make it to the Summit. There are no charging stations for electric vehicles at Haleakalā National Park. The last place to get gas in route to the Summit Area is in the town of Pukalani. Please note that there are no gas stations within the park. Global Positioning System address: Mile Marker 41 Hana Hwy, Hana, HI 96713 Driving time from Kahului is approximately 4 hours. The Kīpahulu District is reached via Route 36 to 360 to 31. Looking to explore waterfalls and a bamboo forest? Global Positioning System address: 30,000 Haleakalā Hwy, Kula, HI 96790 The Summit District can be reached from Kahului via Route 37 to 377 to 378. Want to view the Crater of Haleakalā and explore volcanic geology?
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