Observatories are home to some of the biggest and most impressive telescopes in the world. As many amateur astronomers know, there are numerous ways to experience the night sky beyond looking through a telescope in your own backyard. Hawai’i has impressive observatories that offer a wide variety of star parties, tours, and observatory programs that will expand your knowledge of astronomy and your love of the night sky, whether you are new to astronomy or have been in the hobby for years.
For your convenience, we have compiled an alphabetical list of observatories in Hawai’i that offer programs for the public.
Disclaimer: This information was collected from the observatories’ websites in April 2024. Some information may be subject to change if the websites are updated. If interested in visiting one of the listed observatories, please contact the observatory for the latest information before you visit.
Haleakalā High Altitude Observatory
Located in Haleakalā, Hawai'i, often referred to as “Science City”, the Haleakalā High Altitude Observatory was built in 1958 and formally designated for observatory use by an executive order of the Governor of Hawai’i in 1961. The absence of light pollution paired with the high-altitude air and the height of the observatory make this an outstanding location for research and education.
Telescope
The Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope was named for the late Senator Inouye. It is currently the largest solar telescope in the world, providing the sharpest views ever taken of the Sun’s surface.
Visiting
Unfortunately, the Haleakala Observatory is not open to the general public
Image Credit: NSO, NSF, AURA
Canada-France-Hawai’i Observatory
The Canada-France-Hawai’i Observatory (CFH) is located on the summit of Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano on the island of Hawai’i. The CFH Telescope began operation in 1979. The headquarters is located in Waimea.
Telescope
The Canada-France-Hawai’i Telescope (CFHT) is a 3.6-meter optical/infrared telescope.
Visiting
Due to staffing restraints, the observatory is unable to give summit tours to visitors. People can still visit the summit, which hosts 12 other observatories. The observatory would like to remind visitors that the summit is 14,000ft above sea level. Those with heart and breathing conditions are discouraged from making the trip.
Image Credit: Gordon W Myers
East Asian Observatory
The East Asian Observatory (EAO) is non-profit Hawai‘i Corporation. The James Clerk Maxwell Telescope is located close to the summit of Mauna Kea, Hawai‘i, at an altitude of 4092 meters.
Telescope
The James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) has a diameter of 15 meters and is the largest astronomical telescope in the world. The reflector is made up of 276 individual lightweight panels.
Visiting
Visitors can go to the EAO offices in Hilo, Hawai‘i, if they are interested in working with the staff or observing using the JCMT. There are two forms that can be found here.
Image Credit: William Montgomerie
Gemini Observatory North
The Gemini Observatory North was built and operated by a partnership between five countries: The United States, Canada, Chile, Brazil, Argentina, and Korea. The observatory’s mission is “to advance the knowledge of the Universe by providing the international Gemini Community with forefront access to the entire sky.”
Telescope
The Gemini Observatory is home to one of the twin 8.1-meter optical/infrared telescopes. The other is located in Chile.
Visiting
The Gemini Observatory does not offer any official tours or events, but visitors are welcome to travel to the telescope. When fully staffed, there are a minimum of two Rangers on duty daily from 7:15 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. (VIS). However, all visitors are responsible for their own safety, and travel is at their own risk.
Image Credit: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/P. Michaud
Haleakalā Observatories
The Haleakalā Observatories are made up of eight different observatories and sit on the summit of Haleakalā on the island of Maui in Hawai’i. This location was selected because of the clarity, dryness, and stillness of the air. The astrophysical complex is operated by the University of Hawai‘i, the United States Air Force, LCOGT, and others. The observatories located at this site are as follows:
1. Advanced Electro-Optical System (AEOS)
The AEOS is a 3.67-meter telescope belonging to the Air Force. It is the Air Force’s largest and most advanced telescope system. The University of Hawai‘i operates a high-resolution visible and infrared spectrograph and spectropolarimeter facility instrument on this telescope. It is situated among the Haleakalā Observatories.
2. ATLAS
ATLAS, located on the summit of Haleakalā, Hawai‘i, is an asteroid impact early warning system. Funded by NASA, this system consists of two telescopes situated 100 miles apart.
3. C. E. K. Mees Observatory
The C. E. K. Mees Observatory, located on the summit of Haleakalā in Hawai‘i, has several instruments attached to a single equatorial spar. It includes equipment such as a white-light imager, an imaging-vector-magnetograph (IVM), a high-resolution spectrograph, an imaging polarimeter, and other visiting and facility instruments.
4. LCO Faulkes Observatory
This observatory aims to engage teachers and students in research-based science education. It provides free access to robotic telescopes and fully supported education programmers. While located on the summit of Haleakalā, Hawai‘i, like the other Haleakala Observatories, it is the education arm of the Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network (LCOGTN).
5. Maui Space Surveillance Site
The Maui Space Surveillance Site (MSSS) consists of the Air Force Maui Optical Station (AMOS). It is operated by the US Air Force Space Command.
6. Pan-STARRS
Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS) is a system for astronomical imaging operated by the Institute for Astronomy at the University of Hawai‘i, located in Honolulu. The Pan-STARRS1(PS1) telescope is situated at the Haleakalā Observatories, near the summit of Haleakalā, Hawai‘i. Next to the PS1 is a dome that will house a prototype telescope (PS2).
7. TLRS-4 Laser Ranging System
The University of Hawai‘i operates and maintains the TLRS-4 Laser Ranging System, situated with the other Haleakalā Observatories. The Laser Ranging tool was originally part of the LURE Observatory until the contract expired in 2004, and the Pan-STARRS project took over the site. The TLRS-4 maintains the time-series of SLR data produced by LURE. This experimentation investigates long-period geographical phenomena.
8. Zodiacal Light Observatory
The Zodiacal Light Observatory, located on the Haleakalā summit, consists of two main instruments. The first is the SOLARC. This is a 0.5 meter, off-axis corona graphic reflecting telescope with a fiber-fed imaging spectropolarimeter. It is used for solar and coronal observations. The second is the Day-Night Seeing Monitor (DNSM) which is an optical seeing monitor system that uses a differential image motion measurement to obtain seeing statistics.
Visiting
The Haleakalā Observatories often hold special events at the Mailalani Building in Pukalani. These events can be found here. The Institute of Astronomy, which runs the Observatory complex, conducts a yearly open house. This consists of a variety of activities and a tour of the ATRC building and labs.
Lanihuli Observatory
The Lanihuli Observatory is associated with the University of Hawai‘i Windward Community College. It is located in Kaneohe, Hawai‘i.
Telescopes
The observatory houses a radio telescope, a solar telescope, a cosmic ray telescope, and a 16” Optical Telescope. The observatory also has a NOAA Weather Satellite Tracking Station.
Visiting
The Lanihuli Observatory has a Visitor’s Gallery, and those who wish to visit the observatory should contact the Community College.
Image Credit: Center for Aerospace Education
Leeward College Observatory
The Leeward College Observatory is operated by Leeward Community College in Pearl City, Hawai‘i. It is primarily used for educational programs and houses astronomical observatories on the lower campus of the college. The first was built in 1995, and the second and larger observatory was built between 2000 and 2001.
Telescopes
The first observatory houses an 8” Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope and a Radio Jove Telescope to study the Sun and Jupiter. The second observatory has a 20” Ritchey-Chrétien telescope.
Visiting
Interested LCC campuses, local K-12 schools, and community members can visit the observatories. Visiting days are normally Friday and Saturday evenings from 6pm-9:30pm. For those who wish to visit, Professor Kakkala Mohanan must be contacted. The contact information can be found here.
Image Credit: Leeward College Observatory
NASA Infrared Telescope Facility
The NASA Infrared Telescope Facility includes an observatory located at the summit of Mauna Kea, Hawai‘i. It is operated for NASA by the University of Hawai‘i, located in Honolulu.
Telescope and Observatory Equipment
The IRTF is a 3.0 meter telescope made for infrared observations. Faculty Instruments: SpeX, 0.7-5.3 micron medium-resolution spectrograph; iSHELL, 1.1-5.3 micron cross-dispersed spectrograph and imager; MORIS, ANdor 512 x 512 pixel CCD camera mounted at the side-facing window of SpeX; MIRSI, 5-20 micron camera and grism spectrograph; MOC, imager/guider for MIRSI equipped an Andor 512 x 512 CCD. Visitor Instruments: TEXES, 8-26 micron high resolution grating spectrograph; BASS, medium resolution 3-14 micron spectrometer 116 element, non-scanning prism system, and HIPWAC, 7-13 micron heterodyne spectrograph R>10^6.
Visiting
The observing schedule for the facility can be found here. Before planning a visit to the observatory, some forms and documents must be reviewed and submitted. These can be found here. Procedures and policies for observation can be found here.
Image Credit: Ernie Mastroianni
Subaru Telescope
The Subaru Telescope is located at the summit of Mauna Kea, Hawai‘i. It is operated by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ), Natural Institutes of Natural Sciences. This telescope is Japan’s premier optical-infrared telescope. It was officially established in April 1997 after the base facility building in Hilo, Hawai‘i, was built.
Telescopes
The telescope has a 8.2-meter aperture and is one of the world’s largest and most technically advanced telescopes.
Visiting
The Subaru Telescope is known as an open-use facility, which means that any researcher in the world can submit a proposal to observe through the telescope. Up to ten days a month at 10:30am, 11:30am, 1:30pm —usually on Tuesdays and Thursdays— guides can escort visitors along a specified route inside the telescope enclosure for a 40-minute tour. Reservations are required at least one week in advance. The tours are open to everyone except those under 16 years old, pregnant women, people with respiratory, cardiac, or circulatory conditions, or those who have been diving in the 24 hours prior to the planned visit. Up to eight people can tour at a time.
Image Credit: National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
Submillimeter Array
The Submillimeter Array (SMA) is located at 4070 M (13,350ft) above sea level near the summit of Mauna Kea, Hawai‘i. The SMA was the world’s first imaging interferometric telescope for submillimeter observations.
Equipment
The array is made of eight antennas, each with a parabolic reflector with a 6-meter diameter. Signals are received at antennas and amplified and transmitted to a central building, where they are combined for analysis. This gives the SMA an angular resolution that is equal to a telescope up to 0.5hm (0.3miles) across.
Visiting
A schedule of upcoming SMA seminars can be found here.
Image Credit: Tyler Jump
Thirty Meter Telescope International Observatory
The TMT Observatory Corporation was founded in June 2003 and was born by merging three earlier large-telescope projects: CELT (the California Extremely Large Telescope), VLOT (the Very Large Optical Telescope), and GSMT (the Giant Segmented Mirror Telescope). It is located at Maunakea, Hawai‘i and is still currently in development.
Telescopes
The Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) has a 30m prime mirror, providing unparalleled resolution with TMT images more than twelve times sharper than those from the Hubble Space Telescope.
Visiting
The TMT Observatory is currently undergoing further construction but supports many educational initiatives to help prepare students for current science and technology jobs.
Image Credit: TMT International Observatory
UH 2.2m Telescope
Located near the summit of Mauna Kea, Hawai‘i, the University of Hawai‘i (UH) 2.2m telescope was the first large telescope constructed on the site. It went into operation in 1970, and the success of the telescope showed the excellent observing conditions of Mauna Kea.
Telescopes
The UH 2.2 reflecting telescope has a focal length of 22.6 meters and a focal ratio of f/10.
Image Credit: Richard J. Wainscoat
UK Infrared Telescope
The UK Infrared Telescope (UKIRT) is operated by the University of Hawai‘i Institute for Astronomy. It officially opened in October 1979, and due to the upgrades given between 1990 and 1998, it is believed that this telescope is one of the most scientifically productive telescopes in the world. The telescope is located in Hilo, Hawai‘i.
Telescope
The UKIRT is a cassegrain telescope with a primary mirror with an “English” yoke mounting.
Visiting
The UKIRT is available to astronomers from the institutions that own and operate the facility. This includes the University of Hawai‘i and the University of Arizona, who can compete for limited observing time.
Image Credit: Robert Linsdell
W. M. Keck Observatory
The W. M. Keck Observatory sits on the summit of Hawai‘i’s Maunakea at 13,796ft. The W.M. Keck Foundation funded the project and it was managed by the University of California. It is currently governed by the California Institute of Technology and the University of California with liaisons from NASA and the Keck Foundation.
Telescopes
There are two telescopes housed in the W. M. Keck Observatory: The Keck I and Keck II telescopes. Each sits on an alt-azimuth mount and has a 10-meter diameter. Other instruments in the observatory are the Deep Extragalactic Imaging Multi-Object Spectrograph (DEIMOS), the Echellette Spectrograph and Imager (ESI), the High Resolution Echelle Spectrometer (HIRES), the Keck Cosmic Web Imager (KCWI), the Low Resolution Imaging Spectrograph (LRIS), adaptive optics, the Keck Laser Guide Star, the Multi-Object Spectrograph for Infrared Exploration (MOSFIRE), the second generation Near Infrared Camera (NIRC-2/AO), the Near Infrared Spectrometer (NIRSPEC), the OH-Suppressing Infrared Imaging Spectrograph (OSIRIS), the Kreck Cosmic Reionization Mapper (KCRM), and the Keck Planet Finder (KPF).
Image Credit: W. M. Keck Observatory
Visiting
Volunteers of the observatory are available to greet visitors from Monday through Friday, 10am to 2pm —the Visitor’s Gallery is open until 4pm. Visitors can view models of the twin 10 meter Keck Observatory telescopes and learn about other outreach programs. Merchandise can be purchased. The headquarters is located at 65-1120 Mamalahoa Hwy in the town of Waimea, Hawai‘i; however, as of April 2024, their headquarters in the town of Waimea are currently CLOSED to the public as they undergo lobby renovations. Please check their website before making the trip to visit.
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