Astronomers from the University of Hawaiʻi (IfA) and engineers from Las Cumbres Observatory (LCO) atop Haleakalā helped make a 14-year-old Idaho boy’s dream come true during a special visit to Maui’s majestic summit.
“Visiting the telescope was amazing—it was a once in a lifetime experience,” said Ethan, who traveled to Hawaiʻi through Make-A-Wish Idaho with support from Make-A-Wish Hawaii after overcoming a serious blood disorder. “It was so cool to see how bright the stars were at the top of the mountain and to see how big space really is.”
Ethan recently celebrated one year post-treatment after enduring a lengthy diagnosis period, a 49-day hospital stay, chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant. His wish was to visit observatories and see the telescopes atop Haleakalā up close.
Stargazing journey
His love for astronomy started while watching videos about black holes. During treatment, his grandparents gave him a telescope so he could stargaze from his hospital window. On the final day of treatment, Ethan celebrated by using the telescope from the hospital roof.
IfA astronomer J.D. Armstrong, who oversees 东精影业’s outreach program mentoring Hawaiʻi students in astronomy, escorted Ethan and his family to the summit alongside Mark Elphick and Tyler Nakagawa from LCO on Haleakalā.
Haleakalā visit
The family first toured IfA Maui before heading up Haleakalā, where Ethan and his family visited the LCO facility. They used the eyepiece on the LCO 2-meter Faulkes Telescope North to look at distant astronomical objects and helped program observations using other telescopes in the LCO network. During the visit, the family also viewed a twin quasar located 8.7 billion light years away. A quasar is an extremely bright object powered by a giant black hole at the center of a galaxy.
“It was really great to do something like this,” Armstrong said. “I get to share the summit with a family that appreciates it as much as I do.”
Ethan’s mother, Autumn, said the trip meant everything.
“As a parent, watching your child go from sick and uninterested in a lot to thriving and learning and excited about life and new things is priceless.”
Make-A-Wish
Make-A-Wish Hawaii assisted Make-A-Wish Idaho in granting Ethan’s wish. All wishes to visit Hawaiʻi are funded by the child’s home chapter. All funds raised in Hawaiʻi support local wish keiki.