Rendering of proposed teaching telescope (courtesy University of Hawaiʻi)

• The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo will host an on-campus open house today (Wednesday, October 5) from 5:30 to 7 p.m on the 28-inch educational telescope proposed for Halepōhaku, the mid-level facility on Maunakea.
• The open house will be held on the first floor of the UH-Hilo Science and Technology Building in on the UH campus in Hilo.

From the University of Hawaiʻi:

The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo will host an on-campus open house on Wednesday, October 5 from 5:30 to 7 p.m on the school’s proposed 28-inch educational telescope at Halepōhaku, the mid-level facility on Maunakea. The proposed project includes a 14-foot high, 18-foot diameter dome that will house the teaching telescope. The dome will be placed on a yet to be constructed wooden deck that will connect to an existing building at Halepōhaku.

The open house will be held on the first floor of the UH Hilo Science and Technology Building and will include presentations by UH Hilo astronomy faculty and SSFM International Inc. SSFM will discuss its findings listed in the Draft Environmental Assessment (DEA) which is available for public review and comment through October 24.

Topics to be discussed will include proposed educational programs, such as culture-based STEM curriculum courses for local elementary, middle and high school students along with research opportunities for UH Hilo students. The public will also be able to see the telescope, which is currently housed inside the UH Hilo Sciences and Technology Building.

Public comments

The DEA for the UH Hilo teaching telescope anticipates a finding of no significant impact. The official State of Hawaiʻi, Office of Planning and Sustainable Development notice includes instructions on how to provide comments, which will be considered during the preparation of the final environmental assessment. “We hope our local community takes some time to learn more about the teaching telescope and how it will benefit not only UH Hilo students, but the entire island,” said UH Hilo Chancellor Bonnie Irwin. “I am especially excited for the programming ideas that we have for the community at large to utilize the telescope.”

A DEA is required by the Hawaiʻi Board of Land and Natural Resources for astronomy facilities placed within the state conservation district, and it is triggered by the use of state land and funds.

Decommissioning of former telescope site

The former site of the UH Hilo teaching telescope on the summit of Maunakea is now undergoing decommissioning that is scheduled to be completed in 2023.

When the university submitted a Notice to Proceed in 2016 to decommission the site, more than a dozen community members testified before the Maunakea Management Board (MKMB) and complained about removing the only teaching telescope on the mauna. MKMB ultimately accepted the Notice of Intent in 2021 when the plan to locate the teaching telescope at Halepōhaku was included in the decommissioning plan.