Astronomers at the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ have precisely measured the age of a nearby Sun-like star and its unusual companion, known as a brown dwarf, an object that falls between a planet and a star. The discovery offers new clues into how brown dwarfs grow and change over time.

Using the on Maunakea, the team from the UH (IfA) studied the HR 7672 system, composed of a Sun-like star and a faint brown dwarf companion. With an instrument called the Keck Planet Finder, they tracked tiny five-minute pulsationss in the star’s light and used them to estimate its age to be about 2.3 billion years. The study has been recently published in .

Because the brown dwarf formed at the same time as the star, the star’s age also reveals the companion’s age, giving researchers a rare chance to check if their models of how brown dwarfs cool throughout time are correct.

“This is like finally having a reliable clock for an object we’ve been trying to understand for years,” said IfA Parrent Fellow Yaguang Li, who led the study. “It really helps us place evolutionary models under stringent tests and determine which physical ingredients are correct.”

Shaping discovery

For more than two decades, the HR 7672 system has helped shape how astronomers study brown dwarfs. Its companion, HR 7672B, was discovered in 2002 and was one of the first brown dwarfs ever directly imaged around a Sun-like star using adaptive optics (AO), a technology that sharpens images blurred by Earth’s atmosphere. Those early observations helped reveal how rare brown dwarfs are around Sun-like stars at close orbital distances.

Brown dwarfs do not sustain the same energy-producing reactions as stars. Instead, they slowly cool and fade over time. But testing how that happens has been difficult, in part because scientists rarely know their exact ages.

With this new measurement, paired with what is already known about the object’s energy output and mass, HR 7672B now stands out as a key reference point. The team compared their findings with several models and found the closest match with newer theories that better describe what’s happening inside these objects.

Full circle

The work highlights the long impact of the at IfA. More than 20 years ago, then-fellow Michael Liu discovered HR 7672B using Keck AO. Today, Li, the current Parrent Fellow, is building on that work with this new high-precision age-dating of the same system.

“HR 7672B was one of the first discoveries I made as a Parrent Fellow when I came to UH,” said Liu, IfA faculty member and co-author of the study. “It’s exciting to see new work from another Parrent Fellow make this object even more valuable for understanding how brown dwarfs evolve.”

Astronomers using the have taken a major step in understanding the distant planet Uranus. By combining data from Keck Observatory with the Hubble Space Telescope and James Webb Space Telescope, researchers created the first complete picture of how light reflects off Uranus’s faint outer rings.

The results reveal two very different stories. One ring appears to be made of tiny grains of water ice, likely chipped off a small moon. The other is darker and rocky, mixed with carbon-rich material. Together, they show how collisions and impacts continue to shape the planet’s ring system.

The findings offer new clues about how planets and their moons form and change throughout time.

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An astronomer at the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at Hilo is using data from the (CFHT) on Maunakea to help reconstruct a slow-motion cosmic collision, one that has been unfolding for hundreds of millions of years.

A new study from principal investigator R. Pierre Martin, a professor of at UH Hilo, and international researchers such as PhD student Camille Poitras and colleagues at Université Laval in Québec, Canada, simulates the past, present and future of two spiral galaxies, NGC 2207 and IC 2163. The findings were recently published in .

The team used a one-of-a-kind instrument on CFHT called , which can capture incredibly detailed views of entire galaxies all at once.

“Understanding what’s happening during these collisions is fundamental to our knowledge of galaxy evolution in general,” said Martin. “Our own galaxy, the Milky Way, has been through multiple interactions during its lifetime, with one of them having likely triggered the formation of our Sun, about 5 billion years ago.”

Collision timeline

The interaction began about 440 million years ago. Since then, the galaxies have slammed together, pulled apart and reconnected multiple times. Throughout time, they are expected to merge into a single system, their original structures no longer recognizable.

To trace that evolution, the team ran hundreds of simulations, mapping gas movement, star birth, supernovae explosions, chemical enrichment and structural changes across more than 600 million years.

The study shows how these encounters reshape galaxies such as mixing elements, triggering new star formation and influencing how planetary systems could emerge.

Pierre is quick to highlight that Poitras, the study’s lead author, was responsible for most of the work encapsulated in the paper. For Poitras, who began the work as an undergraduate, the project highlights the value of early research experience. That same hands-on approach is central at UH Hilo.

Hands-on learning

“Telescope and lab time have become a central pillar of UH Hilo’s astronomy program,” Martin said. “Even if you’ve never used a telescope before in your life, for the four years you have here, it’s all about hands-on experience.”

Every astronomy course includes lab work, often connecting students directly with observatories on Maunakea. Since 2017, all telescope proposals submitted through the UH Hilo telescope time allocation process must include undergraduate researchers.

For more go to the .

Hundreds of Â鶹´«Ã½ Island kids and families gathered at the on January 24, to celebrate the legacy of Kona-born astronaut Ellison Onizuka, who was killed in the Space Shuttle Challenger tragedy 40 years ago.

“We’re trying to continue his legacy. He inspired a lot of people, and he wanted to encourage the youngsters to work hard, study hard, and never give up on their dreams,” said Ellison’s younger brother, Claude Onizuka, who worked to bring the event back to Â鶹´«Ã½ Island after a five-year hiatus.

Organized by the (PISCES) in partnership with UH Hilo, the Onizuka Memorial Committee, Canada-France-Â鶹´«Ã½ Telescope and the Â鶹´«Ã½ Science and Technology Museum, the day marked a return for the beloved community tradition, paused since the pandemic.

The event featured a keynote by NASA astronaut Donald R. Pettit, whose appearance was funded by American Savings Bank. Pettit, who has spent 590 days in space and is part of the team preparing for the Artemis II mission, challenged young attendees.

“I want them to think, ‘Wow, flying into space, it’s exploration, it’s tough, it’s difficult, but it’s something I want to do!’ and I hope everyone of these students [will] come and arm wrestle me for my job!”

Approximately 350 attendees participated in hands-on workshops from building volcanoes to learning traditional Polynesian canoe lashing. Interactive exhibits featured liquid nitrogen demos, Maunakea Observatory displays, and a state-qualifying VEX IQ Robotics tournament hosted by Wai�kea Intermediate School.

Ellison Onizuka was the first Asian American and first person of Japanese ancestry to reach space when he completed the Space Shuttle Discovery mission in 1985. He remains the only NASA astronaut from Â鶹´«Ã½.

AstroDay West 2025 brought a wave of excitement to Kona Commons as crowds gathered around science booths, telescopes and live demonstrations. The University of Â鶹´«Ã½ (IfA) joined partners across the island to offer a day of engaging ways to explore the universe at the annual event hosted by .

The day-long celebration offered family-friendly learning, free giveaways and simple science experiments designed to spark curiosity. Organizers said the goal was to make astronomy feel approachable for everyone.

“We were excited to provide keiki and families with the opportunity to learn more about science and astronomy right here in Kona,” said Carolyn Kaichi, education and outreach specialist at IfA. “Through hands-on learning and key partnerships with organizations across the island, we hoped to inspire the next generation of local science and technology leaders.”

Sun, sky and science

Visitors lined up to use a special solar telescope to safely view details on the sun’s surface. Nearby booths showed how stars form, how weather shapes our islands and how scientists observe the sky from Â鶹´«Ã½â€™s mountaintops. IfA staff and students answered questions, guided activities and shared stories about their work.

AstroDay has long been a staple for families interested in science with a mission to strengthen public understanding of astronomy and create more opportunities for learning.

The event also featured displays and expertise from a wide range of partners, such as Las Cumbres Observatory, W. M. Keck Observatory, Gemini Observatory, Subaru Telescope, Canada-France-Â鶹´«Ã½ Telescope, TMT International Observatory, NASA Solar System Ambassadors and the UH Hilo .

A new chapter in automated astronomy has begun on Maunakea. The University of Â鶹´«Ã½ (IfA) has launched initial science operations for , a robotic laser adaptive optics system now operating at the . The milestone marks a major leap in how astronomers observe the night sky.

Robo-AO-2 is designed to correct the blur caused by Earth’s atmosphere, sharpening images of hundreds of objects each night with minimal human oversight. The system is led by astronomer Christoph Baranec, who has spent years advancing adaptive optics technology at IfA.

“Making Robo-AO-2 operational represents years of dedicated engineering and innovation,” said Baranec, a member of IfA’s robotic adaptive optics program. “This system demonstrates how University of Â鶹´«Ã½ facilities continue to pioneer technologies that eventually make their way to the world’s largest telescopes and space missions.”

Hunting for habitable worlds

One of the first researchers to use the system is graduate student Guillaume Huber. He is conducting observations for NASA’s future , which will search for signs of life on planets around nearby stars. Huber is vetting a catalog of nearby stars that could host Earth-like planets.

“The Habitable Worlds Observatory will search for signs of life on planets orbiting other stars, but first we need to ensure those target stars don’t have close stellar companions,” Huber said. “Robo-AO-2’s ability to rapidly survey hundreds of targets makes it uniquely suited for this preparatory work.”

Advancing automation

New funding is driving the system even further. This year, the National Science Foundation and the Mt. Cuba Astronomical Foundation awarded $679,075 to fully automate Robo-AO-2. The NSF award will also support testing a new adaptive secondary mirror for the UH 2.2-meter telescope, led by IfA astronomer Mark Chun. This technology could significantly improve image quality for future ground-based observatories.

“The adaptive secondary mirror will allow us to correct atmospheric turbulence directly at the telescope’s secondary mirror,” Baranec said. “Robo-AO-2 will play a crucial role in testing and validating this technology.”

Training the next generation

For IfA, the project is also about training. Students gain rare hands-on experience with real instruments at the university’s own facilities. The UH 2.2-meter telescope serves as a crucial testbed where new instruments and techniques can be developed before deployment on larger facilities.

“Students are not just operating instruments—they’re helping to build and improve them,” Baranec said. “Those skills are invaluable for careers in astronomy and engineering.”

Scientists using the on Maunakea have discovered a new celestial object that could provide groundbreaking insight into the earliest days of our Solar System. The object, officially named 2023 KQ14 and nicknamed “Ammonite” by the research team, is believed to be a preserved relic or “fossil” from the Solar System’s infancy.

The discovery recently published in is part of the FOSSIL project (Formation of the Outer Solar System: An Icy Legacy), an international effort led by researchers in Japan and Taiwan. Using Subaru Telescope’s powerful wide-field Hyper Suprime-Cam, the team identified Ammonite in a distant, stable orbit far beyond Neptune, an area that has remained largely untouched since the Solar System’s formation more than 4.5 billion years ago.

“This find pushes the boundaries of what we know about the outer Solar System,” said Fumi Yoshida, principal investigator of the FOSSIL project. “Ammonite’s orbit and location suggest something extraordinary occurred in our cosmic past, and we’re just beginning to piece the story together.”

Unusual orbit confirmed

Follow-up observations using the (CFHT) on Maunakea, confirmed the object’s unusual orbit. Archival data from telescopes in Chile and Arizona helped track Ammonite’s motion across nearly two decades, revealing a remarkably stable path that makes it distinct from other known distant objects.

According to researchers, what makes this discovery especially exciting is its implications for the still-unproven Planet Nine theory which is a hypothesized large planet far beyond Pluto. Ammonite’s differing orbit challenges existing models and may force scientists to rethink their understanding of the Solar System’s outermost reaches.

“This kind of discovery shows just how important Â鶹´«Ã½â€™s telescopes are to global science,” said Kumiko Usuda-Sato, outreach specialist at Subaru Telescope. “We mahalo the community for allowing us to continue exploring the cosmos from Maunakea, a place of deep cultural and natural significance.”

Ammonite is part of a rare group of celestial bodies known as Sedna-like objects—distant icy worlds with orbits that carry them far beyond Neptune. These objects are defined by their extremely distant perihelion, or closest point to the Sun. Until now, only three such objects had been identified.

The University of Â鶹´«Ã½ Institute for Astronomy (IfA) is officially initiating the decommissioning process for the UH-owned UKIRT telescope on Maunakea, formerly known as the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope. This marks another important milestone in UH’s long-term commitment to responsible stewardship of the mauna.

UKIRT will be the third Maunakea observatory to be decommissioned under UH’s Maunakea Comprehensive Management Plan, following Caltech Submillimeter Observatory (CSO) and UH Hilo HÅ�kÅ« Keʻa Observatory, both completed in 2024.

“I am glad to see us making progress on our commitment to decommission another facility on the mauna,” said UH Hilo Chancellor Bonnie D. Irwin. “Just as importantly, we do this work with the full awareness of the cultural and environmental significance of this place.”

The UKIRT decommissioning will be done in close coordination with UH Hilo (CMS). As with the CSO and HÅ�kÅ« Keʻa projects, CMS will consult with the and engage the Â鶹´«Ã½ Island community throughout the process.

“This is a deeply meaningful process for UH and the broader community,” said Greg Chun, executive director of CMS. “Decommissioning is more than physical removal, it’s about honoring our commitments, restoring the ʻÄ�ina (land), and engaging with cultural and community voices every step of the way.”

The process will begin with the submission of a Notice of Intent to decommission followed by a request for proposals. The selected company will be required to coordinate closely with CMS and follow the . On-site work to remove the telescope will begin once the planning, permitting and consultation processes are complete.

The CSO and HÅ�kÅ« Keʻa decommissionings set a precedent for enhancing the cultural sensitivity of those working on large construction projects on the mauna. Crews underwent cultural training, and Native Hawaiian protocol was carefully integrated into each stage of the process, from deconstruction to restoration.

“Earlier this year, I had the privilege of visiting the mauna and witnessing the outstanding work CMS has done to successfully oversee the decommissioning of the first two observatories,” said UH President Wendy Hensel. “What strikes me most is the CMS team’s deep sense of responsibility to carrying out UH’s commitments and ensuring this process is conducted responsibly, with great care and respect for this special place.”

UKIRT’s storied history

The UKIRT Observatory began operations in 1979 and was originally built and operated by the United Kingdom’s science agencies. Over the decades, it has contributed to significant scientific advancements and helped establish Â鶹´«Ã½ as a global center for astronomical research. UKIRT is especially known for extending infrared survey imaging to unprecedented depths and coverage.

In 2014, ownership of the observatory was transferred to IfA after the UK ended its funding for the facility. In recent years, the U.S. Naval Observatory (USNO) became the principal sponsor of UKIRT operations, enabling an all-sky infrared survey that has supported a wide range of astrophysical research and enhanced the Celestial Reference Frame, a critical system used for global positional measurements, including GPS.

“It was decided that the decommissioning process would begin once the all-sky survey is complete,” said Doug Simons, director at IfA. “I am deeply grateful for the USNO’s support in recent years. Right up to the end, UKIRT remained highly productive and will leave a lasting scientific legacy.”

UKIRT will continue its scientific work during the initial stages of the decommissioning process, including the required environment studies, permits, and community consultations needed before site work can begin.

Severe budget cuts proposed by the Trump administration to NASA and the National Science Foundation (NSF) are raising major concerns within Â鶹´«Ã½â€™s astronomy community. Aside from the potential loss of federal funding for the Thirty Meter Telescope, funding reductions could also have wide-ranging implications for the University of Â鶹´«Ã½â€™s (IfA), its research and its students. IfA is a globally renowned research center and home to one of the world’s largest university-based astronomy programs, with observatories on Maunakea and HaleakalÄ� that have helped make some of the most remarkable cosmic discoveries ranging from exoplanets to distant galactic phenomena.

UH News sat down with IfA Director Doug Simons to discuss how the proposed cuts may affect Â鶹´«Ã½â€™s standing in the global astronomy community.

What’s at stake moving forward?

Simons: The proposed fiscal year 2026 budgets at NASA and NSF have been cut severely and pretty much uniformly. Almost half of the Science Mission Directorate’s budget at NASA has been cut, and a comparable 50% or so has been cut at NSF. So for astronomy here in Â鶹´«Ã½, there are a number of facilities that are directly impacted, including 17% cut from the W.M. Keck Observatory on Maunakea and 39% cut in the U.S. portion of the Gemini International observatory. We’re also looking at the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) no longer being funded through the construction queue at NSF as part of this whole process.

What impact could these cuts have on grad students and research efforts at IfA?

Simons: Yes, a large fraction of our graduate program is sponsored by NASA and NSF, so our education program is definitely put at risk by these proposed cuts. The related threat of reduced numbers of observatories means that our research program at IfA is also at risk. It’s important to realize that a large fraction of observing time at IfA goes to our graduate students and programs involving undergraduates, giving them unique research opportunities compared to most other astronomy graduate programs. So again, I have a lot of concern near and long term about the impacts of these cuts to our research and education program, and associated knock-on effects.

What would the cuts mean for the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST) on Haleakal�, and its role in training UH astronomy students?

Simons: I’m very concerned about DKIST. They also have a proposed 40% cut, and that’s a brand new, $350+ million state-of-the-art solar telescope, the best ever built, that’s just out of the “starting blocks.” I honestly don’t know what problem is solved by massive cuts to a brand new observatory like DKIST.

Would you say Â鶹´«Ã½ is a global leader in astronomy?

Simons: Â鶹´«Ã½ astronomy is number one in the world in terms of science output, and that is absolutely at risk with deep cuts proposed in the NASA and NSF programs. Much of the U.S. northern hemisphere ground based astronomy program is in Â鶹´«Ã½, so those cuts go right to the core of U.S. astronomy research. There are also proposed cuts in Federal research facilities in Chile, so the net effect, if we do not turn this around, will be widespread and lasting. It takes a long time to design, build, fund and operate these observatories and a large part of 21st century astronomy leadership will likely go to Europe/Asia, where budgets for astronomy research remain supportive.

If these cuts move forward, what impact could it have on Â鶹´«Ã½â€™s economy, considering astronomy provides local jobs and brings in significant funding?

Simons: The latest (2019) estimate is astronomy provides about $220 million of economic impact statewide, with about half of that on Â鶹´«Ã½ Island. Nearly 600 people are employed by the Maunakea Observatories, making Maunakea astronomy one of the largest providers of good-paying STEM jobs on the island. The combined operating budgets for the Maunakea Observatories is $70 million – $80 million annually, with most of those funds being directly injected into the local economy through the salaries of observatory staff. More than $2 million is invested annually by the Maunakea Observatories in education and outreach programs across Â鶹´«Ã½ Island. Over a hundred companies help support Â鶹´«Ã½ observatories, diversifying economic benefits across a wide range of contractors and professionals. The total number of people directly employed by astronomy is closer to 1,000 including Maui and Oʻahu, where similar economic “multipliers” occur.

UH-operated telescopes in partnership with NASA play a leading role in spotting potentially dangerous asteroids. What does the funding picture currently look like for UH’s planetary defense work?

Simons: I was relieved to see that NASA retained its planetary defense program as a high priority. For IfA, that secures the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF) on Maunakea, PanSTARRS, which includes a pair of telescopes on HaleakalÄ�, and ATLAS. There are now five ATLAS telescopes worldwide, which basically serve as the last stand, if you will, for detecting potential earth impactors. That’s a total of eight telescopes IfA owns/operates that could have been lost had NASA decided that the planetary defense program was not a priority. I’m pleased to say that amongst everything else going on, that survived.

How do you feel about the direction these proposed cuts are taking, especially given your decades of experience in Â鶹´«Ã½ astronomy?

Simons: It is extremely disappointing, particularly because I’ve watched the evolution of Â鶹´«Ã½ astronomy throughout most of my career, and the net effect of these recent decisions, which again are completely self-inflicted, is to diminish our ability to answer some of the most fundamental questions in science. It doesn’t have to be that way. We are decisions away from being able to stop this, but if we don’t, we’re looking at widespread damage to long-standing investments of broad state, national and international benefit.