{"id":225734,"date":"2025-11-18T15:05:09","date_gmt":"2025-11-19T01:05:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=225734"},"modified":"2025-11-18T18:50:36","modified_gmt":"2025-11-19T04:50:36","slug":"astroday-space-discovery-kona","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2025\/11\/18\/astroday-space-discovery-kona\/","title":{"rendered":"AstroDay brings space, Sun and discovery to Kona"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> < 1<\/span> minute<\/span><\/span>
\"IfA
IfA<\/abbr> students, staff helped visitors explore astronomy up close.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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<\/span> Institute for Astronomy<\/a> (IfA<\/abbr>) joined partners across the island to offer a day of engaging ways to explore the universe at the annual event hosted by Maunakea Observatories<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

“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<\/abbr>. “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.”<\/p>\n

\"IfA
AstroDay continues to bring science to life for Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> families.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Sun, sky and science<\/h2>\n

Visitors lined up to use a special solar telescope to safely view details on the sun\u2019s surface. Nearby booths showed how stars form, how weather shapes our islands and how scientists observe the sky from Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>\u2019s mountaintops. IfA<\/abbr> staff and students answered questions, guided activities and shared stories about their work.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The event also featured displays and expertise from a wide range of partners, such as Las Cumbres Observatory, W. M.<\/abbr> Keck Observatory, Gemini Observatory, Subaru Telescope, Canada-France-Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Telescope, TMT<\/abbr> International Observatory, NASA<\/abbr> Solar System Ambassadors and the UH<\/abbr> Hilo Astrophysics Club<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The day-long celebration offered family-friendly learning, free giveaways and simple science experiments designed to spark curiosity. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":225754,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[34,35,659,1421,174,1164,1053,14],"class_list":["post-225734","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","tag-astronomy","tag-institute-for-astronomy","tag-maunakea","tag-maunakea-observatories","tag-space","tag-telescope","tag-tmt","tag-uh-hilo","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\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