{"id":243252,"date":"2026-11-09T15:24:18","date_gmt":"2026-11-10T01:24:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=243252"},"modified":"2026-11-09T15:44:42","modified_gmt":"2026-11-10T01:44:42","slug":"astroday-west-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2026\/11\/09\/astroday-west-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"AstroDay West connects Hawaiʻi Island families with wonders of the universe"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> < 1<\/span> minute<\/span><\/span>
\"People
IfA students and faculty engaged in hands on activities with keiki.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

University of Hawaiʻi<\/span> Institute for Astronomy<\/a> faculty, staff and students helped bring astronomy to life for hundreds of visitors at AstroDay West on November 7. The ninth annual Maunakea Observatories event at Kona Commons gave keiki and their ʻohana<\/span> a chance to meet scientists and educators, try hands-on activities and explore new technology, all for free. <\/p>\n

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Attendees of all ages participate in the free event.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“Over the years, AstroDay has evolved into a celebration of science and technology across Hawaiʻi<\/span> Island,” said Doug Simons, director of IfA. “This year, keiki and their ʻohana<\/span> explored everything from the depths of the ocean to the far reaches of the universe. I hope the experience inspires them to become the next generation of scientists, engineers and explorers.”<\/p>\n

A highlight of this year\u2019s event was Hale H\u014dk\u016b, Gemini Observatory\u2019s portable planetarium, which gave visitors an immersive look at the night sky. Attendees also had the opportunity to safely observe the sun through solar telescopes.<\/p>\n

\"Person
糖心视频<\/abbr> Hilo physics and astronomy students take part in AstroDay West.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“My son absolutely loves science and learning anything,” said Raimie Hawk, an AstroDay West attendee. “The activity that we really enjoyed today was making my son\u2019s very own constellation.”<\/p>\n

Keiki could also enter the annual Maunakea Coin Contest, a statewide graphic design competition that invites Hawaiʻi<\/span> Island students in grades K\u201312 to compete for prizes and the chance to have their artwork featured on official AstroDay collector coins.<\/p>\n

\"People
The event brings world-class science to the community.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The annual event gives keiki and their ʻohana<\/span> a chance to meet scientists and educators and explore new technology.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":243258,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[34,35,1421,14,9],"class_list":["post-243252","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","tag-astronomy","tag-institute-for-astronomy","tag-maunakea-observatories","tag-uh-hilo","tag-uh-manoa","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t