An astronomer at the University of Hawaiʻi 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 东精影业 Hilo, and international researchers such as PhD student Camille Poitras and colleagues at Universit茅 Laval in Qu茅bec, 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鈥檚 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 东精影业 Hilo.

Hands-on learning

“Telescope and lab time have become a central pillar of 东精影业 Hilo鈥檚 astronomy program,” Martin said. “Even if you鈥檝e never used a telescope before in your life, for the four years you have here, it鈥檚 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 东精影业 Hilo telescope time allocation process must include undergraduate researchers.

For more go to the .

Researchers at the University of Hawaiʻi (IfA) are helping reshape how scientists study the Sun. The 东精影业-led team has developed a new artificial intelligence (AI) tool that can map the Sun鈥檚 magnetic field in three dimensions with unprecedented accuracy, supporting research tied to the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) built and managed by the NSF National Solar Observatory (NSO) on Haleakal膩. The team鈥檚 findings were published in the .

“The Sun is the strongest space weather source that can affect everyday life here on Earth, especially now that we rely so much on technology,” said Kai Yang, an IfA postdoctoral researcher who led the work. “The Sun鈥檚 magnetic field drives explosive events like solar flares and coronal mass ejections. This new technique helps us understand what triggers these events and strengthens space weather forecasts, giving us earlier warnings to protect the systems we use every day.”

The Sun鈥檚 magnetic field controls eruptions that can disrupt satellites, power systems and communications on Earth. However, the field is tough to measure, making it difficult to create accurate maps. Instruments can show the way the field tilts, but not whether it points toward us or away from us, like looking at a rope from the side and not knowing which end is closer. Another problem is height. When scientists look at the Sun, they see several layers at the same time, so it鈥檚 difficult to tell how high each magnetic structure actually is. Sunspots make this even trickier because their strong magnetic fields bend the surface downward, creating a dip.

AI-powered insights

IfA researchers partnered with the National Solar Observatory and the High Altitude Observatory of the NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research to build a new machine-learning system that blends real data with the basic laws of physics. Their algorithm, the Haleakal膩 Disambiguation Decoder, relies on a simple rule: magnetic fields form loops and don鈥檛 start or end. From there, the AI can figure out the true direction of the field and estimate the correct height of each layer.

The method has worked well on detailed computer models of the Sun, including calm areas, bright active regions and sunspots. Its accuracy is especially helpful for making sense of the high-resolution images from the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope.

“With this new machine-learning tool, the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope can help scientists build a more accurate 3D map of the Sun鈥檚 magnetic field,” said Yang. “It also reveals related features, like vector electric currents in the solar atmosphere that were previously very hard to measure. Together, this gives us a clearer picture of what drives powerful solar eruptions.”

Clearer Sun insights

With these advances, researchers can see the Sun鈥檚 magnetic landscape more accurately and improve predictions of the solar activity that impacts life on Earth.

AstroDay West 2025 brought a wave of excitement to Kona Commons as crowds gathered around science booths, telescopes and live demonstrations. The University of Hawaiʻi (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鈥檚 surface. Nearby booths showed how stars form, how weather shapes our islands and how scientists observe the sky from Hawaiʻi鈥檚 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-Hawaiʻi Telescope, TMT International Observatory, NASA Solar System Ambassadors and the 东精影业 Hilo .

A new chapter in automated astronomy has begun on Maunakea. The University of Hawaiʻi (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鈥檚 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鈥檚 robotic adaptive optics program. “This system demonstrates how University of Hawaiʻi 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鈥檚 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鈥檛 have close stellar companions,” Huber said. “Robo-AO-2鈥檚 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 东精影业 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鈥檚 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鈥檚 own facilities. The 东精影业 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鈥攖hey鈥檙e helping to build and improve them,” Baranec said. “Those skills are invaluable for careers in astronomy and engineering.”

A groundbreaking new instrument that lets astronomers see deeper into space than ever before using a single telescope was brought to life with help from a University of Hawaiʻi at 惭腻苍辞补 faculty member. Installed on the atop Maunakea, the first-of-its-kind device set a new benchmark for how scientists study distant stars and planets.

The instrument, called a photonic lantern, separates starlight into multiple channels, like breaking a musical chord into individual notes, allowing computers to rebuild an ultra-clear image. It鈥檚 part of a new instrument called FIRST-PL, developed and led by 东精影业 and the Paris Observatory, and installed on the advanced optics platform (Subaru Coronagraphic Extreme Adaptive Optics) at .

“What excites me most is that this instrument blends cutting-edge photonics with the precision engineering done here in Hawaiʻi,” said S茅bastien Vievard, a faculty member from the 东精影业 Space Science and Engineering Initiative (SSEI) a joint program of the 东精影业 惭腻苍辞补 and . “It shows how collaboration across the world, and across disciplines, can literally change the way we see the cosmos.”

Sharper cosmic views

The breakthrough, published in , used the new setup to study a nearby star called beta Canis Minoris and revealed that its fast-spinning gas disk is unexpectedly lopsided, a detail never seen until now.

“This device splits the starlight according to its patterns of fluctuation, keeping subtle details that are otherwise lost. By reassembling the measurements of the outputs, we could reconstruct a very high-resolution image of a disk around a nearby star,” said Yoo Jung Kim, a graduate student at UCLA, and lead author on the study.

The international team included researchers from 东精影业, UCLA, the Paris Observatory, the University of Sydney and Subaru Telescope.

Hawaiʻi鈥檚 space future

The achievement marks a milestone for 东精影业鈥檚 new Space Science and Engineering Initiative, which launched its first engineering courses at 东精影业 Hilo in fall 2024. The initiative aims to position Hawaiʻi as a global hub for space research, technology development, and workforce training. Vievard, one of the program鈥檚 founding faculty members, is helping to lead this new academic path that blends classroom learning with hands-on engineering experience.

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鈥檚 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鈥檚 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鈥檚 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鈥檚 orbit and location suggest something extraordinary occurred in our cosmic past, and we鈥檙e just beginning to piece the story together.”

Unusual orbit confirmed

Follow-up observations using the (CFHT) on Maunakea, confirmed the object鈥檚 unusual orbit. Archival data from telescopes in Chile and Arizona helped track Ammonite鈥檚 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鈥檚 differing orbit challenges existing models and may force scientists to rethink their understanding of the Solar System鈥檚 outermost reaches.

“This kind of discovery shows just how important Hawaiʻi鈥檚 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鈥攄istant 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.

Severe budget cuts proposed by the Trump administration to NASA and the National Science Foundation (NSF) are raising major concerns within Hawaiʻi鈥檚 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 Hawaiʻi鈥檚 (IfA), its research and its students. IfA is a globally renowned research center and home to one of the world鈥檚 largest university-based astronomy programs, with observatories on Maunakea and Haleakal膩 that have helped make some of the most remarkable cosmic discoveries ranging from exoplanets to distant galactic phenomena.

东精影业 News sat down with IfA Director Doug Simons to discuss how the proposed cuts may affect Hawaiʻi鈥檚 standing in the global astronomy community.

What鈥檚 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鈥檚 budget at NASA has been cut, and a comparable 50% or so has been cut at NSF. So for astronomy here in Hawaiʻi, 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鈥檚 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膩, and its role in training 东精影业 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鈥檚 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 Hawaiʻi is a global leader in astronomy?

Simons: Hawaiʻi 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 Hawaiʻi, 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 Hawaiʻi鈥檚 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 Hawaiʻi 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 Hawaiʻi Island. Over a hundred companies help support Hawaiʻi 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.

东精影业-operated telescopes in partnership with NASA play a leading role in spotting potentially dangerous asteroids. What does the funding picture currently look like for 东精影业鈥檚 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 Haleakal膩, 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 Hawaiʻi astronomy?

Simons: It is extremely disappointing, particularly because I’ve watched the evolution of Hawaiʻi 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.

A University of Hawaiʻi-operated telescope has discovered a fairly large asteroid that may impact the Earth. The historic asteroid, 2024 YR4, was first detected by 东精影业鈥檚 (ATLAS) in December 2024 as it flew past the Earth. Estimated to be the size of a 20-story building, the asteroid is currently 27 million miles away and returns to Earth鈥檚 vicinity every 4 years. While it is expected to safely pass Earth in 2028, scientists warn that a collision in December 2032 remains a possibility.

狈础厂础鈥檚 estimates a 1% chance that asteroid 2024 YR4 could collide with Earth in 2032, based on current observations. Throughout the coming months, astronomers will closely monitor the 180-foot (55-meter)-wide object to refine its orbit and improve predictions of its future trajectory. No asteroid of this size has ever reached a 1% impact probability in the past two decades of near-Earth object tracking, making 2024 YR4 a rare and closely watched case.

While the odds of impact remain low, history has shown that even small asteroids can cause significant destruction. In 2013, a 65-foot (20-meter) asteroid exploded over Russia, unleashing a shock wave that shattered windows in 7,200 buildings across six cities. More than a century earlier, in 1908, an asteroid roughly the size of 2024 YR4 detonated over Tunguska, Siberia, flattening trees across nearly 1,000 square miles. Though scientists estimate a 99% chance that 2024 YR4 will safely miss Earth in 2032, its potential for impact—especially over populated areas—has drawn the close attention of the planetary defense community.

“Tiny asteroids do hit the Earth all the time, disintegrating in the atmosphere as fireballs; fortunately small ones cause little damage on the ground,” said Larry Denneau, an astronomer at 东精影业 (IfA) and co-principal investigator at ATLAS. “Larger asteroids can cause much more damage, but they impact the Earth much less frequently. There are still many large ones out there that we haven鈥檛 found yet, which is why we are continuously monitoring the whole sky to ensure that we stay ahead of potential threats.”

Hawaiʻi telescopes monitoring

Observatories on Maunakea and Haleakal膩 are actively tracking 2024 YR4 to refine its trajectory. In 2022, 东精影业 was instrumental in helping track 狈础厂础鈥檚 Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) target asteroid system, the first successful asteroid deflection mission, proving that with enough time, an asteroid鈥檚 path can be altered to protect Earth.

• Related 东精影业 News story: 东精影业 astronomers capture historic NASA spacecraft, asteroid collisions, September 27, 2022

鈥�&濒诲辩耻辞;Hawaiʻi鈥檚 telescopes are some of the most important tools for planetary defense,” said Doug Simons, director at IfA. “Thanks to our prime location and advanced technology, we can spot, track, and study asteroids with incredible accuracy. That gives scientists the time they need to evaluate potential threats and figure out the best ways to respond.”

Planetary defense

东精影业 IfA plays a central role in planetary defense, operating some of the world鈥檚 most advanced asteroid-tracking telescopes. ATLAS, funded by NASA, is a four-telescope system located in Hawaiʻi, atop Haleakal膩 and Maunaloa, Chile and South Africa. It specializes in detecting asteroids on very close approaches to Earth, discovering hundreds of near-Earth objects (NEOs) each year.

IfA also operates the or Pan-STARRS on Haleakal膩, the world’s leading NEO discovery telescope, which is equipped to detect potentially dangerous asteroids while they are still far from Earth. As scientists continue to assess the risk posed by this asteroid, Pan-STARRS remains actively engaged in tracking its movements and refining its projected trajectory. Each year, the ground-based telescope response system on Maui tracks more than half of the near-Earth objects larger than 140 meters detected globally.

On Maunakea, two 东精影业-operated telescopes are also serving as key components of 狈础厂础鈥檚 planetary defense system in monitoring 2024 YR4. The or IRTF, a 3.2-meter NASA-funded observatory, specializes in studying near-Earth objects NEOs to evaluate potential impact risks. Meanwhile, the 东精影业88 telescope aids in forecasting the future trajectories of these space bodies.

The search for NEOs is funded by 狈础厂础鈥檚 through its .

An observatory on Maunakea played a pivotal role in a groundbreaking study that sheds light on the birth and evolution of planetary systems. Using the (SMA), an astronomer from the University of Hawaiʻi helped capture crystal-clear images of exocomet belts鈥攔egions around stars where icy and rocky objects called exocomets are found.

The study captured images of the light emitted from millimeter-sized pebbles within exocomet belts surrounding 74 stars near Earth. It represents the largest survey of such objects to date. The belts are tens to hundreds of times further from their star than the Earth is from the Sun and are exceptionally cold, with temperatures ranging from -250 to -150 degrees Celsius, where most compounds, including water, are frozen as ice. This makes these belts critical ice reservoirs within planetary systems.

东精影业 astronomer Jonathan Williams from the has studied planet forming disks for more than 20 years.

“This work helps us understand the origins of our own Solar System,” Williams explained. “Like most abstract scientific research, the impact on people鈥檚 daily lives is minimal, but it contributes to the body of knowledge that ultimately changes humanity’s perspective on their place in the universe.”

Belt ‘disks’

Led by Luca Matra, an astrophysicist from Trinity College Dublin, the REASONS (REsolved ALMA and SMA Observations of Nearby Stars) study leveraged the combined capabilities of the SMA and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile. These observatories observed electromagnetic radiation at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths, providing the most detailed information yet on exocomets and their belts.

“The images reveal a remarkable diversity in the structure of belts. Some are narrow rings, as in the canonical picture of a 鈥榖elt鈥� like our Solar System鈥檚 Edgeworth-Kuiper belt. But a larger number of them are wide, and probably better described as ‘disks’ rather than rings,” said study coauthor Sebasti谩n Marino, Royal Society University Research Fellow at the University of Exeter.

Exocomet collisions

Exocomets are often larger than 1 kilometer in size and collide within these belts to create the smaller pebbles observed in the study. These belts are not unique to a select few systems鈥攖hey are found in at least 20% of planetary systems, including our own.

“The REASONS dataset of belt and planetary system properties will enable studies of the birth and evolution of these belts, as well as follow-up observations across the wavelength range, from James Webb Space Telescope to the next generation of Extremely Large Telescopes and ALMAs upcoming ARKS Large Program to zoom even further onto the details of these belts,” said coauthor David Wilner at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard and Smithsonian.

The team of scientists part of this study include Williams (东精影业 IfA), Matra (Trinity College), Marino (University of Exeter), Wilner (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics) and 18 other coauthors from across Europe and the U.S.

The , a cornerstone of the Akamai Workforce Initiative, is opening doors for college students from Hawaiʻi to explore career opportunities in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields while contributing to the state鈥檚 growing high-tech industry.

, offering students a chance to earn course credits at while gaining hands-on experience at observatories, tech companies, and research facilities across Hawaiʻi Island, Maui, and the University of California, Santa Cruz. The program is open to students enrolled in any UH campus, as well as those that are from Hawai驶i studying on the U.S. continent.

“The Akamai Program focuses on getting local students into local high-tech jobs鈥攅specially with astronomy and space employers. Many kamaʻāina (native-born) students study out of state for their undergraduate programs. The program gives them a connection with employers and they gain the skills, experience, and network to land a rewarding job at home,” said Lisa Hunter, director of the Akamai Workforce Initiative. “With a 25-year history, we now have hundreds of alumni employed across the islands.”

Stipends, mentor matching

The program runs from June 1 to August 8, 2025, offering interns a $4,400 stipend, housing (if needed), and travel support. Participants are matched with mentors in their field and complete a one-week preparatory course at 东精影业 Hilo before embarking on their projects. The summer culminates with a public symposium where interns present their work.

Local students needed

Akamai鈥檚 focus on local talent is clear: 80% of interns are either graduates of local high schools or are currently enrolled at a 东精影业 campus, and the program actively seeks to increase participation among underrepresented and underserved groups in STEM. To date, 37% of alumni are women, 23% are Native Hawaiian, and 47% are from underrepresented minority groups.

Led by the Institute for Scientist and Engineer Educators (ISEE) at the University of California Observatories in partnership with 东精影业 Hilo and the 东精影业 Institute for Astronomy (IfA), the program has supported more than 500 interns since its inception in 2003. Nearly 90% of alumni have continued their STEM studies or successfully transitioned into STEM careers, with many contributing directly to Hawaiʻi鈥檚 workforce.

STEM opportunities

Interns in recent years have been placed at many Hawaiʻi Island firms including Canada-France-Hawaiʻi Telescope, Hawaiʻi Electric Light Company, Gemini North Observatory, Liquid Robotics, Smithsonian Submillimeter Array, Academia Sinica Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Subaru Telescope, IfA, U.S. Department of Agriculture and W. M. Keck Observatory.

Maui placements have included Air Force Research Laboratory, Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, KBR, Maui High Performance Computing Center, Pacific Disaster Center and Privateer Space.

Opportunities also extend to the University of California Observatories, where interns work on projects related to Hawaiʻi telescopes.

Akamai funders

Funded by organizations such as the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and the National Science Foundation, the Akamai Internship Program continues to serve as a vital pipeline for Hawaiʻi鈥檚 STEM workforce. Applications are due by February 7, 2025.

For more information visit the Akamai Workforce Initiative website.

A University of Hawaiʻi astronomer played a key role in tracking a small asteroid hours before it entered Earth鈥檚 atmosphere on December 3, showcasing the critical role Hawaiʻi鈥檚 telescopes play in planetary defense.

J.D. Armstrong from the 东精影业 (IfA) teamed up with Italian astronomer Marco Micheli to observe the asteroid, known as 2024 XA1, using the (FTN) atop Haleakalā part of the Las Cumbres Observatory.

The object, which is around 1 meter in length鈥揳bout the size of a large beach ball鈥搘as detected just before entering Earth’s atmosphere, where it created a fireball over Northern Siberia. While no damage was reported, the event highlighted how rapid detection can help prepare for future, more significant threats.

“This was a small object, less than a meter in diameter, and it is unlikely that anyone was injured,” said Armstrong, who also directs IfA鈥檚 outreach program, . “There are larger asteroids out there that may impact the Earth. The and ATLAS observatories on Haleakalā look for these objects, so that if there is going to be a serious impact, measures can be taken to keep people safe.”

东精影业 rapid tracking

The FTN鈥檚 ability to quickly track fast-moving objects was key to the asteroid鈥檚 observation. The 东精影业-operated telescope Pan-STARRS1, also based on Haleakalā, is the world leader in identifying large Near-Earth Objects. When potential threats are detected, telescopes on Maunakea will stop what they are working on and track the object to determine if it is a possible threat to Earth. , another 东精影业-operated system, provides warnings for potentially city-destroying asteroids with up to a day鈥檚 notice and can identify regional-scale threats weeks in advance.

According to Micheli, tracking small asteroids ahead of potentially destructive ones is a good way to test preparedness.

“Our ability to detect them in space, quickly identify their impact trajectory, and track them until they hit our planet is an excellent way to demonstrate the effectiveness of our planetary defense systems,” said Micheli.

东精影业 astronomers and Hawaiʻi鈥檚 world-class telescopes remain at the forefront of efforts to protect Earth from asteroid impacts.

Research by astronomers and computer scientists at the University of Hawaiʻi (IfA) could revolutionize our understanding of the Sun.

The study, part of the “SPIn4D” project, combines cutting-edge solar astronomy with advanced computer science to analyze data from the world’s largest ground-based solar telescope atop Haleakal膩, Maui.

The team鈥檚 research recently published in focuses on their development of deep learning models that rapidly analyze vast amounts of data from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) . The goal is to unlock the full potential of the telescope鈥檚 observations that could potentially lead to breakthroughs in speed, accuracy and scope of solar data analysis.

• Related 东精影业 News story: Never-before-seen images of Sun released from world鈥檚 largest solar telescope

“Large solar storms are responsible for stunning auroras, but can also pose risks to satellites, radio communications and power grids. A better understanding of their birth place, the solar atmosphere, is extremely important,” said Kai Yang, an IfA postdoctoral researcher who led the work. “We used state-of-the-art simulations to mimic what the Inouye will see. Combining these data with machine learning offers an invaluable opportunity to explore the three-dimensional solar atmosphere in near real-time.”

The Inouye Solar Telescope, operated by the NSF National Solar Observatory (NSO), is by far the world鈥檚 most powerful solar telescope, and stands on the 10,000-foot summit of Maui鈥檚 Haleakal膩, which translates to “the house of the Sun.” The telescope鈥檚 instruments are designed to measure the Sun’s magnetic field using polarized light, and the SPIn4D project was designed specifically to use this data, which is only available from the solar telescope鈥檚 instrumentation suite.

Innovative solar research

The team of scientists from NSO and High Altitude Observatory (HAO) utilize deep neural networks to estimate physical properties of the solar photosphere from the Inouye Solar Telescope鈥檚 high-resolution observations. This method promises to significantly speed up the analysis of the massive data volumes produced by the solar telescope, which can reach tens of terabytes per day.

“Machine learning is very good at providing fast approximations to expensive computations. In this case, the model will enable astronomers to visualize the Sun鈥檚 atmosphere in real time, rather than waiting hours to achieve the same accuracy,” said co-author Peter Sadowski, an associate professor at the 东精影业 惭腻苍辞补 .

Simulating the Sun

To train their AI models, the team has produced an extensive dataset of simulated solar observations. Using more than 10 million CPU hours on the NSF鈥檚 Cheyenne supercomputer, they鈥檝e created 120 terabytes of data mimicking Inouye Solar Telescope observations at extremely high resolution.

The team has already made a 13-terabyte subset of their data publicly available, along with a detailed tutorial. They plan to release their fully trained deep learning models as a community tool for analyzing Inouye Solar Telescope observations.

This research is supported by a $669,000 grant from NSF鈥檚 Astronomy and Astrophysics Grants program. The team of scientists is composed of Yang, Xudong Sun, Ian Cunnyngham, Jiayi Liu, Curt Dodds (东精影业 IfA), Sadowski, Yannik Glaser (东精影业 惭腻苍辞补 ICS), and Sarah Jaeggli, Tom Schad, Lucas Tarr (NSO) and Matthias Rempel (HAO).

Astronomers have uncovered the largest pair of black hole jets ever observed, stretching an astonishing 23 million light-years across the universe. This discovery, made using on Maunakea and other telescopes around the world, was recently published in and featured on the cover of the journal鈥檚 September issue.

“This pair is not just the size of a solar system, or a Milky Way; we are talking about 140 Milky Way diameters in total,” said Martijn Oei, a Caltech postdoctoral scholar and lead author of the new study. “The Milky Way would be a little dot in these two giant eruptions.”

The jet structure, nicknamed Porphyrion after a giant from Greek mythology, dates back to when the universe was only 6.3 billion years old鈥攍ess than half its current age. These powerful outflows, with an energy output equivalent to trillions of suns, are emitted from a supermassive black hole at the center of a distant galaxy.

Porphyrion now holds the record for the largest black hole jet system, surpassing the previous titleholder, Alcyoneus, which spanned about 100 Milky Way diameters.

Galaxy development

The discovery suggests that these enormous jet systems may have played a more significant role in the development of early galaxies than previously thought. Porphyrion emerged during a time when the universe鈥檚 “cosmic web”鈥攖he large-scale structure that connects galaxies鈥攚as much denser, allowing jets like these to reach further than those in today鈥檚 universe.

“Astronomers believe that galaxies and their central black holes co-evolve, and one key aspect of this is that jets can spread huge amounts of energy that affect the growth of their host galaxies and other galaxies near them,” said co-author George Djorgovski, a Caltech professor of astronomy and data science. “This discovery shows that their effects can extend much farther out than we thought.”

The University of Hawaiʻi (IfA) has been selected by NASA to continue to operate the agency鈥檚 (IRTF) on Maunakea, a primary asset in NASA鈥檚 planetary defense system.

Among its many science programs, IRTF is used to identify asteroids and comets that may pose a threat to Earth. The NASA contract with 东精影业 has a maximum potential value of approximately $85.5 million and could extend through December 2033, according to the space agency. 东精影业 will be responsible for observatory maintenance, operations, and more.

东精影业 will also develop and implement an operations strategy so that the scientific community can use the facility through peer-reviewed competition to assist NASA in achieving its scientific discovery, mission support and planetary defense goals.

“The award of a new contract follows a very successful independent review of IRTF operations and scientific productivity last year. We appreciate the opportunity to continue to work with NASA and manage this important facility,” said IRTF Director John Rayner. “We are excited to maximize IRTF as a scientific research facility to advance our understanding of the universe while also protecting our planet.”

IRTF is a 3.0-meter telescope optimized for infrared observations that was originally built to support NASA鈥檚 Voyager missions. It started operations in 1979 and has been operated by 东精影业 ever since. About 30 IfA researchers and staff based in Hilo and Honolulu support the facility.

“I think this operating agreement speaks volumes about our IfA team that has been working diligently on properly caring for and operating IRTF,” said IfA Director Doug Simons. “The telescopes on Maunakea and Haleakal膩 play pivotal roles in our nation鈥檚 planetary defense system, on top of their amazing scientific and education value, high paying jobs and economic impact.”

About half of IRTF鈥檚 observing time is reserved for objects within the solar system, and the remainder is available for general astrophysics. The observing time is openly competed for, with proposals solicited from the entire astronomical community. As a federally-funded facility all observing data from IRTF is made available to the public.

The telescope funding comes from the NASA Near-Earth Object (NEO) Observations Program in the Planetary Defense Coordination Office of the agency鈥檚 Science Mission Directorate in Washington, D.C. IRTF鈥檚 main role for NASA planetary defense is to spectrally characterize NEOs which can be used to assess potential impact damage. IRTF and 东精影业 continue to develop new instrumentation to improve this capability.

Another important role is to provide ground-based observations in support of NASA space missions. Examples include observations to support the Galileo mission to Jupiter in the mid-1990s, and more recently the Juno mission to Jupiter, the Akatsuki mission to Venus (a collaboration with the Japan space agency), and missions to asteroids. As an optical-infrared telescope, a unique feature of IRTF is the ability to conduct daytime observations of planets and comets to within 20 degrees of the sun.

In 2021, IRTF analyzed the characteristics of an asteroid as large as the Golden Gate Bridge that made a close pass by Earth, about five times the distance to the Moon. The NASA telescope played a major role in studying an unusual celestial phenomenon in 1994, the first collision ever witnessed between a comet and a planet.

The decommissioning of the (CSO) has made significant progress since resuming in late April. The removal of the telescope dome and other structures is now complete. This is the second telescope on Maunakea that is in the final phase of decommissioning.

“Due to high winds and stormy weather in early May, we had to temporarily pause work and secure the site at various times, but we completed removal of the telescope dome and other buildings on May 30,” said Caltech physics professor and CSO Director Sunil Golwala.

Now that the buildings have been cleared from the site, the next phase involves removing the concrete foundations, pavement, underground utilities and cesspool. Once this work is finished, the restoration phase will begin. The land will be restored in accordance with the permits guiding the decommissioning process. Throughout each stage, cultural, construction, and archaeological monitors will remain present to ensure compliance.

The decommissioning is expected to be completed by the end of year. Upon completion, Caltech will monitor the site for three years to document repopulation of flora and fauna. The cost of deconstruction and site restoration is expected to exceed $4 million. Costs are being funded primarily by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and the California Institute of Technology. The CSO telescope removal is made possible by the Heising-Simons Foundation.

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贬艒办奴 Keʻa

The removal of the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo 贬艒办奴 Keʻa Observatory on the summit of Maunakea is also underway. The decommissioning process which also includes the restoration of the site began in mid April.

The removal of the (CSO) will resume in mid-April after work paused for winter weather on Maunakea. The entire decommissioning process is expected to be completed by 2024 and will cost CSO more than $4 million.

Final decommissioning phase

• Complete interior deconstruction and removal of the observatory dome
• Remove foundation and the cesspool, its remaining solid contents, and all underground utilities
• Sample ground underneath the foundation and cesspool for chemicals of potential concern
• Monitor site for the appearance of invasive species
• Restore land to the fullest extent consistent with the permits guiding the decommissioning

CSO said that there are monitors for all phases of the project, including decommissioning, cultural, construction and archeological monitors, in accordance with the permits guiding the telescope鈥檚 removal.

“Once the decommissioning is complete, the site will be monitored for three years, primarily to document repopulation by flora and fauna,” said Caltech physics professor and CSO Director Sunil Golwala.

The decommissioning is expected to be completed this year. Deconstruction and site restoration costs are being funded primarily by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. The CSO telescope removal is made possible by the Heising-Simons Foundation.

Regular updates will be provided by .

Hōkū Keʻa

The removal of the Hōkū Keʻa Observatory on the summit of Maunakea will begin the week of April 15. The decommissioning process that includes the restoration of the site is expected to be completed by August.

This is the second telescope on Maunakea that is in the final phase of decommissioning.

The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo will begin the removal of the Hōkū Keʻa Observatory on the summit of Maunakea the week of April 15. The decommissioning process that includes the restoration of the site is expected to be completed by August. The public is advised to check the 东精影业 Hilo before traveling up the mauna as the Maunakea Access Road will be closed occasionally during the project.

The decommissioning includes the removal of the observatory building, generator building and telecommunications and electrical infrastructure. The project is following the required under the (CMP).

“We are one step closer to fulfilling 东精影业鈥檚 promise to remove observatories from the summit of Maunakea,” said Greg Chun, 东精影业 Hilo CMS executive director. “The very detailed process laid out in the CMP requires everyone working on this project to complete cultural training and understand the history and cultural significance of the area. The decommissioning process requires archaeological, cultural, invasive species, and construction monitoring throughout the project to ensure best management practices are being followed. The process also requires three-years of site monitoring post-decommissioning to assess species population and diversity.”

Hōkū Keʻa is the second telescope on Maunakea that is in the final phase of decommissioning. The deconstruction and site restoration of the California Institute of Technology Submillimeter Observatory is scheduled to be completed by fall of 2024.

The 东精影业 Hilo observatory is located on the southeastern side of the 528-acre astronomy precinct on the summit and was built by the U.S. Air Force in 1968. It was one of the first observatories on Maunakea before it was given to 东精影业 in 1970 and transferred to 东精影业 Hilo in 2003.

More information on the Hōkū Keʻa decommissioning process.

A group of astronomers using three telescopes in Hawaiʻi have discovered a small, very old star system orbiting around our galaxy. The star system, named Ursa Major III/ UNIONS 1 or UMa3/U1, is incredibly faint and has the least mass of any Milky Way satellite ever found. It might also be one of the most dark matter-dominated systems known.

UMa3/U1 is made up of about 60 stars, all more than 10 billion years old, held together by their own gravity, and possibly even by dark matter. The team of researchers leading the study used the and (CFHT) on Maunakea and the University of Hawaiʻi (IfA) or Pan-STARRS on Haleakal膩.

“This important discovery of the darkest dwarf galaxy was only possible with Pan-STARRS鈥� ongoing effort to systematically survey the sky over and over again,” said Ken Chambers, IfA astronomer and principal investigator of Pan-STARRS. “We do this primarily to find potentially hazardous near Earth asteroids, but we also use the data to build up an ever deeper image of the universe and by combining this data with the other participating UNIONS (Ultraviolet Near Infrared Optical Northern Survey) surveys, we enable many kinds of discoveries from the solar system to the edge of the visible universe.”

Findings were published in by astronomers from the University of Victoria and Yale University.

Celestial mystery

Located in the Ursa Major constellation, UMa3/U1 is about 30,000 light-years from the Sun. It weighs about 16 times more than the Sun, however it’s still much lighter than the smallest known suspected dwarf galaxy. Scientists first found the star system using data from the UNIONS survey conducted by Pan-STARRS and CFHT.

For a more detailed analysis, they turned to the Keck Observatory’s Deep Imaging Multi-Object Spectrograph, confirming UMa3/U1 is a tightly bound system, either a dwarf galaxy or a star cluster.

Further observations are required to determine if this star system is dominated by dark matter, which would support a key prediction in the leading theory of the universe’s origin. This theory suggests that during the formation of galaxies like the Milky Way, they attracted hundreds of satellite star systems through gravitational pull, which continue to orbit galaxies to this day.

Astronomers from the University of Hawaiʻi (IfA) have uncovered the closest recorded occurrence of a star being torn apart by a supermassive black hole (SMBH). Using the All-Sky Automated Survey for SuperNovae (ASAS-SN) system, on February 22, 2023,the team detected a sudden surge in brightness followed by a rapid dimming in the galaxy NGC 3799, located about 160 million light-years from Earth.

“While black holes destroying stars have been seen before, this is the first one we have seen this close using visible light,” said Willem Hoogendam, an IfA graduate student who co-led the research. “This could give us a much better understanding of how SMBHs grow and collect material around them.”

Follow-up observations were taken with IfA鈥檚 (ATLAS) telescopes on Maunaloa and Haleakal膩, on Maunakea, and other ground- and space-based observatories. Hoogendam, working with fellow IfA grad student Jason Hinkle and faculty advisor Ben Shappee, analyzed these data to determine that the burst of brightness was caused by a Tidal Disruption Event (TDE). TDEs happen when a star gets too close to a SMBH and is torn apart by its strong gravitational force, with the black hole devouring the star’s mass. Research findings will be published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

“This discovery suggests that black holes ripping stars apart nearby could be more common than previously thought—we just haven鈥檛 witnessed it happening frequently,” said Hoogendam.

Rare find

The intense brightness produced by the star鈥檚 mass feeding the black hole creates a luminous flare, which all-sky surveys like ASAS-SN can observe. While such events have been detected far away from Earth, finding one relatively close by is rare. ASASSN-23bd, as the event is known, is a remarkable nearby TDE, making it an excellent subject for further study.

The astronomers found that ASASSN-23bd was unlike many other TDEs they had observed before:

• It emitted much less energy than previous TDEs
• It was the closest TDE discovered using visible light
• Its change in brightness happened about twice as fast as most TDEs
• ASASSN-23bd is in a unique category of objects known as low luminosity and Fast TDEs
• luminosity and Fast TDEs