D uJ - University of Hawaii · generated by 20th century astronomy may be answered in the 21St century, and the Maunakea Observatories will be key to finding those answers. Our knowledge

uJD

2 Sunday, November 12, 2017 Hawaii Tribune-Herald

Some of the big questionsgenerated by 20th centuryastronomy may be answeredin the 21St century, and the

Maunakea Observatories will bekey to finding those answers.

Our knowledge of the origin andmakeup of the universe is growingexponentially. A couple of decadesago, the only planets known to existwere in our solar system. Now weknow that most stars have planets, andthousands of them have been detecteddirectly, including from Maunakea.

Likewise, black holes were theoretical constructs throughout mostof the 20th century. Now we knowthey are real, with some of the mostcompelling observations made todate coming from Maunakea.

What are some of the big answersthat are potentially on the horizon stemming from the Maunakea Observatories?First, a closer look at Hawaii’s onlybillion-dollar scientific research complex is needed to better understandhow these answers will emerge.

Based upon the number and quality of publications, the MaunakeaObservatories are collectively No. 1worldwide in their scientific product.This is attributable to many things,including the exquisite nature of thesite that produces some of the sharpestviews of the cosmos on our planet.

It is also due to decades of investment by governments from aroundthe world that sponsor pure research,like astronomy. The bulk of the $70million that is invested annually tooperate the Maunakea Observatoriespasses directly into the local economythrough the salaries of our local staffs.

Maunakea astronomy is an aggregator of innovation, new knowledge,clean high-tech jobs, educationalopportunities, international funding, technology development, andglobal esteem in perhaps the mostancient and revered field of science.

Thanks to the 100-plus local companies that support the MaunakeaObservatories, nearly $100 miffion inannual economic impact is felt acrossHawaii Island. Astronomy’s economicimpact statewide ($175 million) is abouthalf that of agriculture and forestrycombined — a respectable contributorto Hawaii’s economy by any measure.

With a 50-year legacy, the Maunakea

Observatories are connected to — andderived from — our community incountless ways. Community engagement and support, particularly of ourkeild through education, is naturaland central to the future of Hawaiiastronomy. Key programs include:

• The Journey Through the Universeprogram that touches the better partof 10,000 students each year;

• AstroDays at the PrinceKuhio Plaza and Kona Commonsthat draw thousands;

• The Kama’aina ObservatoryExperience that provides monthlyprograms dedicated to the cultural, environmental, and scientific dimensions of Maunakea;

• The Akamai Intern Programthat has trained hundreds of localcollege students in STEM fields;

• The Maunakea Scholars program that opens the doors to theMaunakea Observatories to highschool students across the state toconduct their own research projects.

All of these impactful local programs demonstrate the commitmentof the Maunalcea Observatories to thecommunity from which we come.

Of course, what makes all of thispossible is the people of Hawaii, inparticular those of the First Nation ofHawaii that first called these islandshome centuries ago and created a lasting cultural treasure that serves as thefoundation for Hawaii’s future. Noneof this would be possible without their

mana’o and timeless lessons connecting earth, sea, sky and spirit.

Though their wisdom, we are reminded of the sacred nature of this space,Maunakea, which links us to distantspace. This ancient endeavor, astronomy,is framed today by Maunakea. It servesas a beacon to find our way home, a pristine portal on the universe, and in time, asymbol of peace. Nowhere else on Earthdoes this conjunction occur. Nowhere.

With that as background, what aresome of those discoveries on our horizon when viewed from Maunakea?

Having helped establish how common planets are in our galaxy, next-genresearch will focus on finding nearbyhabitable planets by dedicating sophisticated new instruments and large blocksof observing time to sweep the sky forthe faint signatures of distant worlds.

If the Thirty Meter Telescope is built,biomarkers in the atmospheres of theseplanets stermning from life may be discovered, etching an accomplishment intothe annals of history for Hawaii that willstand out for centuries. Having first proven that a massive black hole is lurkingin the heart of our Milky Way galaxy,observations are being conducted worldwide (and, critically, from Maunakea)that will be used to capture an imageof that black hole — another first.

Fantastically powerful new instrumentation under development now willbe used to study and perhaps identifythe nature of the dominant form ofmatter in the universe — dark matter.The recent Noble Award winning observations by the Laser InterferometerGravitational-Wave Observatory of gravitational waves emitted from mergingblack holes has rekindled interest in thepossibility that dark matter isn’t someform of exotic particle, but countlessprimordial black holes created duringthe Big Bang. if true, in a startling sense,black holes may be critical for life.

Intrigued? Welcome to the frontierof new knowledge about the universe,about ourselves. We, the people ofHawaii, have so much to be proud of,including the beautiful Hawaiian culturethat grounds our communities, and a legacy of discovery that in this century willhelp point the way for centuries to come.

Doug Simons is executive director of the3.6-meter Canada-france-Hawaii Telescopeandformer director of the Gemini ObservatoryThis column was written at the request of theTribune-Herald specifically for this publication.

u-i

0

So much to be proud of

Doug SimonsExecutive director,

Canada-Erance-Hawaii Telescope

Credits

EditorDavid Bock

WriterTom Callis

PhotographyHollyn Johnson

DesignBonnie L. Rogers

On the cover

PhotoAndrew Richard Hara

Websitewww.andrewhara.com

[email protected]

Hawaii Tribune-Herald

The birth of anHow a bold idea a half century ago put Maunakea at

Sunday, November 12,2017 3

institutethe forefront of astronomy

L

4 Sunday, November 72, 2017 Hawaii Tribune-Herald

INSTITUTEhigh above the clouds andwondered if that peak mightnot be a better site,” wroteSteiger, who died in 2011. Hewas not the only one thinkingabout Maunakea, which sits at13,796 feet above sea level.

Following the 1960 tsunami that devastated Hilo,the Hawaii Island Chamberof Commerce began looking at astronomy as a wayto boost the local economy.Mitsuo Akiyama, then theorganization’s executivedirector, invited Kuiper tocome give Maunakea a look.

“We wrote to about 1,000

From page 3

mainland universities and said,‘We have an empty mountainon Maunakea. Why don’t youfolks take a look at it and dosomething about it,” Akiyamatold the Tribune-Herald ayear before his death in 2004.Kuiper was the only one toreply. Gov. John Bums wason board with the idea andreleased $42,000 to build ajeep trail to the top. The roadwas complete in 1964, anda small dome with a 12.5-inch telescope was placed onPu’u Poliahu to test the site.

Today, the only evidencethat remains is a flat area

up top and a small piece ofconcrete, possibly part of thefoundation, poking throughthe cinder. The pu’u, whichwould be restored under conditions of the proposed ThirtyMeter Telescope, offers viewsof Lake Waiau and most ofthe existing observatories.

“It was more of a sightseeing visit’ recalled JohnJefferies, who at the time wasleading the solar program atUH’s physics department. Hewould become the first director of UH-Manoa’s Institutefor Astronomy in 1967.

“I wanted to know whatit looked like and how it

See INSTITUTE Page 8

John JeffeilesFormer director, UH Institute for Astronomy

Walter SteigerFormer UH physics professor

Courtesy of UH-Manoa

The 1979 dedication of the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility.

Committed to the pursuitof knowledge and higher education

.c.br Hawai 1

6 Sunday, November 12, 2017Hawaii Tribune-Herald

Mirror size: 3.6 metersWavelength: optical, near infraredFirst light: 1979Employees: 47Headquarters: WaimeaOperated by: The National Research Council ofCanada, Centre National de a Recherche Sdentifique of France and University of Hawaii.

Mirror size: Keck 1(10 meters) Keck 11(10 meters)Wavelength: Keck I — optical, nearinfrared, Keck II — optical, near infraredFirst light: Keck 1,1993; Keck 11,1996Employees: 126Headquarters: WaimeaOperated by: Caltech/University of California

Mirror size: 8.3 metersWavelength: optical, near infraredFirst light: 1999Employees: 103Headquarters: KiloOperated by: National Astronomical Observatoryof Japan

Mirror size: 8-by-6 metersWavelength: submillimeterFirst light: 2002Employees: 24Headquarters: KiloOperated by: Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatoryand Academia Sinica Institute for Astronomy andAstrophysics

Mirror size: 15 metersWavelength: submillimeterFirst light: 1987Employees: 35Headquarters: KiloOperated by: East Asian Observatory (Japan,China, South Korea, Taiwan). The United Kingdomand Canada are JCMT operational partners.

Mirror size: 3.8 metersWavelength: optical, near infraredFirst light: 1979Employees: 3Headquarters: KiloOperated by: East Asian Observatory

Mirror size: 25 metersWavelength: radioFirst light: 1992Employees: 40Headquarters: Socorro, New MexicoOperated by: Long Baseline Observatory

Mirror size: 3 metersWavelength: optical, near infraredFirst light: 1979Employees: 25Headquarters: KiloOperated by: Planetary Science Division for NASA

Canada-France-Hawaii TelescopeSmithsonian Astrophysical United Kingdom Infrared Telescope

Keck Observatory James Clerk Maxwell TelescopeVery Long Baseline Array

Subaru TelescopeUniversity of Hawaii

Mirror size: 2.2 metersWavelength: optical, near infraredFirst light: 1970Employees: 6Headquarters: HonoluluOperated by: University of Hawaii

NASA Infrared Telescope Facility

-Hawaii Tribune-Herald

Mirror size: 8.1 metersWavelength: optical, near infraredFirst light: 1999Employees: 200Headquarters: HiloOperated by: Association of Universities forResearch in Astronomy

REACH FOR THE

STARS WITH US

MAUNAKEAANDIMT.ORG

_____

IMT

Gemini Northern Telescope

University of Hawaii

This UH-Hilo teaching telescope is not operationaland is expected to be decommissioned.

Caltech Submillimeter Observatory

Mirror size: 10.4 metersWavelength: submillimeterFirst light: 1987Note: This telescope is in the process ofbeing decommissioned.

$ Sunday, November 12,2017

INSTITUTE From page4


compared with Haleakala,”Jefferies said. “It wasn’t reallywith the thought of transfen-ing the observatories orinitiating a new program onMaunakea. We had enoughon our plate as it was.”

But the results were clearas the sky above Maunakea:The conditions were the bestKuiper and Herring had seen.

After the success ofthe test site, Kuiper, whowas then the director ofthe Lunar and PlanetaryLaboratory at the Universityof Arizona, approachedthe National Aeronauticsand Space Administrationfor funding to build a telescope on the mountain.

But NASA decided to openthe competition and invitedUH and Harvard University tosubmit proposals, in additionto the University of Arizona,according to Jefferies.

— “(Kuiper) wanted it forplanetary studies,” saidJefferies, 92. “Harvardwanted it for general astronomy studies to supporttheir residency program.”

He saw an “enormousopportunity” for UH.

“Here is a possibility forus to build an institutethat would be world-classbecause the site was world-class,” Jefferies said.

He proposed an 88-inch(2.2-meter) telescope,which, to Kuiper’s dismay,received NASA’s backingand $3 million. The telescope was complete in 1970and is still in operation.

“The opportunity, in fact,matured into the institute asit is today,” Jefferies said.

Before the 88-inch telescope was complete, twosmaller telescopes, bothwith 24-inch mirrors, wereplaced nearby, he said.

The first was built in1968 on the current site ofthe Hoku Kea dome. Theother, built in 1970 at thesite of the Gemini telescope,

according to the MaunakeaOutreach Committee’s web-site, was later removed.

Still, there were skepticsabout building telescopes ona such a tall mountain, whereoxygen levels are 40 percentlower than at sea level.

“Some thought it was ridiculous at that height’ Jefferiessaid. “They didn’t think people would be able to operate.”

An oxygen enrichmentdevice was installed, butoperators were able towork without it, he said.

Barracks constructedat about 9,200-foot elevation were later expanded tobecome the Hale Pohakumid-level facilities, whichprovides housing and mealsfor construction workers,astronomers and telescope

operators. It also offers aplace for them to get acclimated to the altitude.

The next astronomyfacilities to be built onMaunakea were the NASAInfrared, United KingdomInfrared and Canada-France-Hawaii telescopes in 1979.

But in the interveningyears, the general feeling inthe astronomy community was“wait and see,” Jefferies said.

“We had a few peoplewho came up there anddecided that they wouldn’ttake the risk of going thereand settled on lower altitudedevelopment sites,” he said.

The French tookless convincing.

Jefferies said France waslooking across the world tobuild a telescope and visited

Hawaii after initially settling on a site in Mexico.

“I knew the people whowere working on the telescope, they were goodfriends of mine, and I toldthem they were nuts notto look at Maunakea,”he said. “It’s clearly thebest site in the world.”

A team was sent to Hawaiito meet with him and Bums,who was “wildly enthusiastic”about it, Jefferies recalled.

“They looked at thoseimages (from Maunakea) andabout three days or a weeklater they returned to Paris,”he said, and returned witha delegation to negotiate.

Those would be some ofthe last telescopes beforeJefferies left WA andmoved to Arizona in 1983,

where he still resides.By then, there had been

some opposition, mainly fromhunters who were concernedabout sheep being scared awayand Audubon Society concerned facilities would impactthe paula bird, Jefferies said.

While former HawaiiCounty Mayor ShumchiKimura, who held the officefrom 1965-1968 was supportive, Herbert Matayoshi,who was mayor from 1974to 1984, was more critical,calling the telescopes “pimples” on the mountain.

Matayoshi was part of agroup that proposed limitingtelescopes to six, Jefferiessaid. There are now 13, thoughsome are slated for removal.

While most people continue to support the observatories, he said his only regret isnot reaching out more to theHawaii Island community andmaking it more “part of theprogram” during his tenure.

“I thought having interaction with the mayorand the council was sufficient,” Jefferies said.

“I thought that wouldbe carried through to thepublic, but it wasn’t.”

At the time, he said culturn! concerns with use ofMaunakea weren’t beingexpressed, though they wouldlater become a significantsource of opposition.

Looking back, he marvelsat the telescopes’ contributionsto science and humanity’sunderstanding of the universe.

“I always thought whatwe were doing, I think thisis consistent with (Burns’)thought when we first started out on this, was to buildsomething that would be asource of pride for the peopleof the islands,” Jefferies said.“It’s something that connibutes to human knowledgeI still think that’s the case.”

Email Tom Callis at [email protected].

Courtesy of UH-Manoa

Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope groundbreaking on July 2, 1974. From left: Guy Vachon, Rev.Israel Kamoku, John Jefferies, Roger Cayrel, Kenneth Wright and John Hoag.

JO Sunday, November 12, 2017 Hawaii Tribune-Herald

By TOM CALLISHawaii Tribune-Herald

There are somequestions that cutacross languagesand cultures: Why

are we here? How wasthe universe created?

Those sorts of existential thoughts have guidedscience, art and religionfor centuries. It’s also thesame curiosity that drivesthe research on Maunakea,and it’s what Bill Healey, aformer supervisor with theWM. Keck Observatory,tries to instill in visitors whowalk through the domesof some of most powerful telescopes on Earth.

beliefs are about how theuniverse came to be,” hetold a recent tour group. “Itcould have been created,it could have been someunexplained instant of physics. It makes no differenceto us. ... It’s there and weshould all wonder” about it.

Healey leans slightlyforward as he engages withthe group on a Saturday inSeptember at Keck, speakingsometimes with outstretchedhands, but always with ahealthy dose of enthusiasm.

“All you have to do isgo out on a beach on a darknight and look at (the stars),”he said, when asked about

life on other worlds. “Itgoes on and on and on. Sothere’s billions of galaxiesand billions of stars, and justthe odds are there’s got to besomething else up there.”

The tour is part of theKama’aina ObservatoryExperience, a free programthat started in early 2016to give Hawaii residentsa better understanding ofwhat the telescopes do onthe mountain. The tourrotates between two observatories each month.

While the observatories have long sponsored

A toutKama’aina Observatory Experience gives the

public a rare glance inside powerful telescopes

like noother

“I don’t care what your SeeTOUR Page 12

72 Sunday, November 12, 2017

TOURFrom page 70

different outreachefforts with the HawaiiIsland community, theyhave never done anything quite like this.

Doug Simons, directorof the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope, andone of the tour organizers,said the idea came aboutwith conversations withStewart Hunter, the headof the Office of MaunakeaSupport Services, whonoted how it’s important tobring people in your hometo create relationships.

“In this case, the ‘houses’ are the MaunakeaObservatories, and the‘neighbors’ are the people of Hawaii,” Simonssaid in an email.

Before, tours were rare,with most of the telescopesoffering them only to other scientists or importantpeople in their field.

“We want them to knowwe are doing somethingthat has some value,”Healey said. “Becausewe’ve had some commentslike, ‘You guys spend a lotof money on astronomy,why not put it into cancerresearch?’ Good question.But we can do both.”

But the tour is notjust about astronomy.

Hawaiian culture andperspectives also areweaved into the experience and presentedduring an orientation.

Leilehua Yuen, a cultural practitioner andformer space journalist,starts the event off at theHale Pohaku mid-levelfacility with an oh komo(welcome chant) and theopening of the Kumulipo,a Hawaiian creationchant, in addition to othermele reflecting love forMaunakea and how theisland was born as a child

HawaII Tribune-Herald

ABOVE: Yuko Kakazu, Subaru spokeswoman, gives a tour of the Subaru Telescope during the Kama’aina Observatory Experience.

BELOW: Bill Healey, a former supervisor with the W.M. Keck Observatory, talks with guests in the control room.

Photos: HOLLYN JOHNSONflrbune-Herald

SeeTOUR Page 13

Hawaii Tribune-Herald Sunday, November 12,2017 73

TOU R From page 12

of Wakea (the sky father)and Papahanaumoku(the earth mother).

“I think everyone is heretoday because of aloha forthe mountain,” she said, afterwelcoming the two dozenvisitors. “Whether you’re acultural practitioner, a scientist ... we have mutual alohafor this island, this mountain.”

While explaining theKumulipo, she said Hawaiianculture counts genealogy fromthe time of creation, not justfrom parents or grandparents.

“We go all the way backto the beginning,” Yuensaid. “... That time whenthe entire cosmos was thiswailing blackness and darkness that coalesced untilfinally it gave birth to light

and all time was born.”She said that reminds them

that they are a “little piecein this great big cosmos.”

Another mele describesdeities on Maunakea —

Poliahu, the snow goddess,and others — that Yuenexplained reflected a deepunderstanding of hydrology and other forces ofnature on the mountain.

“Whether you believe inthem as a deity or you wantto use them for a metaphorof hydrology of the mountain, or whether you justenjoy the poetry, the changesthese songs talk about is stillextremely accurate,” she said.

The tour started with 24people a month, but hassince been expanded to 48to meet demand. Still, spotsfill up in the first five minutes on the website, kamaainaobservatoryexperience.org. The only requirement isa Hawaii driver’s license.

The tour’s soaring interest comes as no surprise.

Leilehua Yuen is a culturalpractitioner.

There’s no shortage ofchicken skin moments.

Sitting atop of 270tons of steel, Keck’s twin10-meter mirrors are madeof 36 hexagonal segments.They are the biggest optical

telescope mirrors in theworld, next to the 10.4-meterGran Telescopio Canariasin Spain’s Canary Islands.

Keck was the first to usethis method and the telescopes have proved to be animmense success, capturingdistant exoplanets and themost distant galaxy to date.

The mirror’s surface isas smooth as it gets, and itcan be almost easy to miss.As the group walked in, thetelescope was angled towardthe dome’s walls, creatingsuch a flawless reflectionthat at least one visitor commented they thought theywere looking through tothe wall on the other side.

The illusion disappearedas the telescope effortlessly changed position.

When the dome opensat night, these 3-inch-thicksegments together become a

large window to the universe.Ed Hickey, summit

tour host, explains themirror segments are continually being refinishedto keep them flawless.

“At the end of the year,they will get done with Keck1 and then come back inJanuary to do Keck 2,” hesaid. “So, it’s like paintingthe Golden Gate Bridge.You’re never done.”

The telescope works byreflecting photons to a secondary mirror, which focusesthe light and sends it to athird mirror that directs itto one of the instruments.

Each telescope domeis chilled to that evening’sforecast temperature, makingthem much colder than therest of the facility, to eliminate any air disturbance in

See TOUR Page 14

Live Local Music!Open Daily llam-lOpm

www.pondshilo.com

Mexican fiesta MondaysWack-O-Lamb WednesdaysLobster Lovers Thursdays

HUb Sturgeon SundaysPau Hana 2-Spm

Sunday Brunchllam-2pm

HOLLYN JOHNSON/Tribune-Herald

Ono Grinds...Anytimes! .Jammin’Smce 1971 135 Kalanfanaole_Ave. • 934-7663 (POND)



Ed Hickey, summit tour host, talks with guests in the control room oftheW.M.Keck Observatory in September.

TOUR From page 13

the room when it opens.“It’s like stepping into a freezer at

— Costco,” Hickey explained beforehand.At both Subaru and Keck, visitors

were taken into control rooms whereworkers operate the telescopes.

As it was a Saturday, manyof the workers, most of whomare from Hawaii Island, wereabsent, tour guides noted.

But the control room at Subaruwasn’t entirely empty. Hanging upwere several teru teru bozu, ghostlike puppets made of tissue paper.

Yuko Kakazu, Subaru spokeswoman, said they are prayers forgood weather. While Maunakea’sskies are clear about 300 days ayear, a single overcast night can ruinan astronomer’s research plans.

“You are desperate whenyou have bad weather, right?”she said. “You just make terntern bozu and you hang it.”

While Keck has the largest mirrors on the mountain,Subaru boasts the biggest single-piece mirror at 8.2 meters.

It also hosts a unique instrument — the Subarn hypersuprime-cam — which specializes in widefield views of the universe and mapping the cosmos.

“That’s why we build this telescope,” Kakazu said. “If you want tomap the universe, it’s better to use

this camera instead of Hubble.”Subaru is unique in another

way — it’s telescope enclosure ismore rectangular than curved.

Kakazu said its doors open horizontally like a Japanese slidingdoor, and the telescope “bows”as it is put into position.

Subaru also is the only observatoryto have done regular tours, apart fromKama’aina Observatory Experience.

Cartoons from anime artists whohave visited are drawn as signatureson a tool used to transport instruments.

Hunter, who helps lead thetours, said the program’s purpose is to show “the wonder ofMaunakea, in all aspects.”

In that, visitors that daysaid they succeeded.

William “Wolfman” Gass, ofVolcano, said he wished the program was started earlier.

“I think with all the controversyand stuff I think it’s a pity this wasn’tavailable for the past 10 or 15 yearsand got the local people out to seewhat’s going on here and to takeadvantage of it all,” he said. “I thinkwe have a certain understanding ofthe importance of this location andhow we have to achieve a balancebetween cultural issues and science.”

Email Tom Callis at tcatlis@hawaiitribune-heraid. corn.

I I I Fl


‘Blown away by their creativity’By TOM CALLIS


Titan, the largest moon thatorbits Saturn, was long shrouded in mystery after being discovered in the 17th century.

Following the recent Cassinispacecraft mission, it’s now knownthe moon, which is larger thanMercury, hides lakes and seas madeof liquid hydrocarbons under itsthick atmosphere, and that its surfacetemperature is a frigid minus 292degrees Fahrenheit. On this world,it rains methane, though oceansof liquid water and ammonia arelikely present below the surface.

That could make it a challenging place for life to develop, at least as we know it.

On a September eveningatop Maunakea, three HonokaaHigh School students — AnilcaWiley, Marie-Claire Ely andKaitlin Villafuerte — soughtto find out by using the NASAInfrared Telescope Facility.

“We had a couple moons in mindand we narrowed it down to Titanmainly because of the atmosphere,”said Marie-Claire, 15, a senior. “We’relooking for something that can showus evidence there has been life.”

Each are active in the school’sastronomy club and jumped atthe opportunity to use one of themountain’s telescopes through theMaunakea Scholars program.

These students are doing morethan shadowing astronomers. Theyare doing the research and coming up with the ideas themselves,sometimes at PhD levels, said MaryBeth Laychack, outreach manager for the Canada-France-HawaiiTelescope and the students’ mentor.

“We’re continually blown awayby their creativity,” she said, noting that some research ideas haveto be turned down because theywould take years to conduct.

About 315 students, most ofwhom received school credit, have

Maunakea Scholars program puts massive telescopes in the hands of high school students

HOLLYN JOHNsONrrribune-Herald

Honokaa High School students, from left, Kaitlin Villafuerte, Anika Wiley and Marie-Claire Ely observe Titan with theNASA Infrared Telescope Facility.See SCHOLARS Page 16

16 Sunday, November 12,2017

NASA Infrared Telescope Facilitytelescope’s instruments.

SCHOLARS Frompagel5

gone through the program fromparticipating schools across thestate since its launch in 2015.

But few step foot into an actual telescope. These days, a

________________

small crew is usuallyall that’s neededto run a telescopeat night, allowingastronomers to dotheir part remotely.

“I work from mykitchen table all thetime down in Hilo,”said Bob Bus, NITFdeputy director.“You can actuallyget a PhD in astronomy without goingto a telescope.”

The students’ trip

_____________

to the observatorywas the last night of three they spentviewing Titan and collecting data. Theother two were done at CFHT headquarters in Waimea, Laychack said.

Built in 1979, the box-shaped NffFis one of the oldest on the mountain.

The building has a metallic-lookingdome, the top of which rotates to allowthe 3-meter telescope to find its targets.

The light is reflected from theprimary mirror to a smaller secondaiy mirror at top of the telescope structure that sends the photons into one of the instrumentsattached at the telescope’s base.

Before they begin their observing,which lasts about two hours, Bus

gives the students a tour of the domeas well as advice on how to work inthe lower oxygen environment. (Tip:food helps, and doughnuts, which

they brought withthem, taste betterat higher altitude).

Bus said thetelescope, ownedby NASA but ranby the University ofHawaii at Manoa,was built to assistthe space agency’s spacecraftmissions, a roleit still fills to thisday with the recentCassini mission.

While thespacecraft provides the close-

ups, the ground-based telescopecaptures the baseline data ofEarth’s neighbors to help NASAunderstand what it is seeing.

“It’s like watching a really longsoap opera for many, many years toput into context that one scene,” Bussaid, while describing the telescope’swork. When it’s not studying planetsand moons, the observatory is discovering smaller objects, such as asteroids,many of which he gets to name.

Pictures of planets taken byNASA spacecraft line the walls ofthe telescope’s control room,

I

HOCLYN JOHNSONITribune-Herald

Deputy Director Bob Bus points to the

“We had a couplemoons in mind and wenarrowed it down toTitan mainly becauseof the atmosphere.We’re looking for

something that canshow us evidence

there has been life,”— Marie-Claire, senior

See SCHOLARS Page 18


Maunakea AstronomyOutreach Committee

Find us on I

NAKEA DBSERVATDRIES

Maunakea Astronomy Outreach Committee - MKAOCor on the web http://mkaoc.org

‘I


SCHOLARSwhere the students workalongside the two telescopeoperators, who help getthe mirror into position.

But it’s up to the studentsto run the instruments, control the telescope’s exposureto ensure as many photonsare collected as possible,make sure the telescopestays on target, as well asdocument their steps.

If a step is missed ordelayed, that means lesslight is collected, and Busis there to make sure not asecond of science is wasted.

“I tend to be a task driver,” he said. “I’m tiying toinstill that a little bit.”

Saturn averages about886 million miles from thesun — more than nine timesEarth’s distance. Dependingon positions of both Earth andSaturn, it takes the photonsroughly 174 minutes to leavethe sun, bounce off Titan’s

atmosphere, reach the telescope, and show up on theircomputer screens, Bus said.

To ensure they are gettingthe best data, the telescopeshifts between Titan andwhat’s known as a “guidestar” Laychack said theyuse the star, this one located near the constellationScorpious, also known asMaui’s fishhook, so they willknow if their instrumentsare working correctly.

Once they switch to Titan,the moon appears on one oftheir computer screens inthe infrared. What they seeis more of a gray smudgethan the colorful picturescaptured by Cassini.

But they’re not here toget the prettiest picture.What they’re after is to capture and analyze the spectrum of light reflecting offthe moon’s atmosphere.

That shows up as lines

bending across one ofthe student’s screens.

It might not look fascinating, but this type of datacan tell researchers what’sgoing on in Titan’s atmosphere, including what typeof chemicals are most abundant. That could give cluesto the presence of life.

“Mi these bumps and wiggles are tied to molecules,”Bus said, as he points outridges and troughs in the lines.

It’s essentially the barcode of the moon’s atmosphere and gives a snapshotin time of what’s happeningon our distant neighbor.

It’s the same techniqueastronomers will use to findplanets in far-off solar systems that could harbor life.

While they may nothave found evidence fornew lifeforms that night,the research will providedata that could be cited oneday in a scientific paper.

“By allowing differentgroups to observe many times,you can get what’s calledtime-domain astronomy,” Bussaid. “Many things aren’tconstant. In fact, the data theyare taking right now couldbe used by a larger scientificproject that is being carried

out right now by a scientistfrom Cornell (University).”

After returning to HalePohaku, the students grabbedcups of hot chocolate andreflected on their evening.

“I still feel like a kidplaying with a telescope,”said Kaitlin, 16, a junior.“At least I know I coulddo it if I wanted to.”

Laychack said the program’s goal is not to create the next generation ofastronomers, but to inspirekeiki to seek careers in anyfield of science, technology,engineering or mathematics,commonly known as STEM.

Asked what this wouldhave meant to her if she hada similar opportunity in highschool, she said: “I would havedied. It would have meant theworld to me, and I know itmeans the world to them.”

Email Tom Cattis at [email protected].

From page 16

Hawaü Tribune-Herald

Mary Beth LaychackCanada-France-Hawaii Telescope

Mahalo 3 Thank you 142% local hire rate

We offer JOB OPPORTUNITIES (check our website) • STUDENT INTERNSHIP PROGRAM • EDUCATION at our Local Schools

http:/)Subcruielescope.org

• Guided tour at the Subaru Telescope (1 6 years or older) • Base Facility Tour and Staff PresentationsSign up at The Subaw Website: • For details visitSubaru Home Page > Visiting the Subaru Telescope . Subaru Home Page> For Educators > Staff Presentation Program


Take a Journey Through the UniverseBy TOM CALL1S


Journey Through the Universe hasentered more than 300 classrooms in the past 14 years,

according to Gemini Observatoryoutreach manager Janice Harvey.

The Gemini-led program sends morethan 80 observatory professionals totalk with students about the cosmosand share their passion for science.

But it wasn’t guaranteedit would last this long.

Hawaii Island’s Journey Through theUniverse was initially one of severalaround the country, but their fundingran out in the second year, Harvey said.She said local businesses and organizations have stepped in to provide themoney to sustain and grow the effort.

Harvey said it started in theWaiakea complex schools but nowis nearly an islandwide program.

‘We decided as a community we

Andre-NicolasChene of theGeminiObservatory tellsthird-graderDazlyn Urbanozo-Alves aboutthe distancesbetween stars in2015 during theJourney Throughthe Universeprogram.

HOLLYN JOHNSON!Tribune-Herald

Austin Barnes, program manager,said they place college students atobservatories and other high-technologybusinesses in the state. They are set upwith mentors and gain valuable real-world experience in fields of science,technology, engineering and mathematics, commonly known as STEM.

The program started in 2003 and hashelped mote than 350 Hawaii students.

Barnes said it helps many findcareers in Hawaii when they may thinkthat’s not possible in their fields.

“I was of the mind I would haveto leave like a lot of people are,”said Barnes, a former intern.

Akamai is funded by the HawaiiCommunity Foundation, Thirty MeterTelescope, Air Force Office of ScientificResearch, National Science Foundation,Daniel K. lnouye Solar Telescopeand National Solar Observatory.

Email Tom Cailis at [email protected].

were going through with it,” she said.Harvey said the observatories see

it as part of their “moral obligation”to the island that supports them.

“ peaks their interest” in science, she said, “It’s about much

more than astronomy.”The program visits classrooms from

kindergarten through 12th grade.For students who want to pur

sue a job at a telescope, there’sthe Akamai Internship Program.


fl S By TOM CALLIS solar system,” she said. “That is exciting.”• fl Hawaii Tribune-Herald So far, about 3,500 exoplanets, many orbit-t ing too close to their star to host life, have

‘I A J hen the discovery of an exo.- beendcoveredPnethunflnflatearn

‘ ‘dI 11 another star — was announced Moutou said that makes it hard toin 1995, it represented an estimate how many she has helped disearth-shattering moment cover. “It’s nothing that I consider

for astronomy, recalled Claire Moutou. mine,” she said. “It’s teamwork.”Suddenly, a whole new era of research One of the discoveries she worked on

was born, and with it, the possibility of was Corot-7b, located 489 light years awayo u r so a r sys e f’fl finding life elsewhere in the cosmos. in the constellation Monoceros. About 70“The impact was tremendous because percent larger than Earth, the planet was

no one was really working on exoplan- the smallest to have been measured untilets at the time in the ‘90s,” said Moutou, a Kepler-i Ob was found in 2011. Both areresident astronomer with Canada-France- scorched worlds, with surface tempera-Hawaii Telescope atop Maunakea. tures that exceed that of lava on Earth.

That changed overnight as researchers Exoplanets are discovered in two ways:raced to find more. Like others, Moutou, who radial velocity, which measures the graviwas a student in France at the time, jumped tational tug a planet has on its sta andon board. Instead of focusing on interstellar the transit method. For the latter, astronodust, as she had intended, Moutou became a mers search for dips in a star’s light causedplanet hunter, and she hasn’t stopped since, by the planet passing in front of it.

“What we have found so far is muchmore diverse than what we have in the See EXOPLANETS Page 23

— — — — — — ..,..,—

_ -

— -

— — - _i c’ F

1__)

Ii - 07 -‘

/1 / —

-

-- 4

K-- - __-‘# 1’

-:Z*- & -

- -$-,

-

.—,--•----.

4 -:- — I. —,

_r

.—

——

-—

-fawaii Tribune-Herald Sunday, November 12,2017 23

Are we alone? You can’t imaginehumanity hasn’t asked that questionfrom the very beginning looking upat the stars. It’s kind of the ultimatequestion: What else is out there?

From page 21

The former was pioneered atCFHT in the 1980s, Moutou said.

“A few dozen planets were searchedfor and it was 10 years before thefirst one was discovered,” she said.“They missed it by that much.”

The credit for finding the first exoplanet around a sun-like star goes toSwiss astronomers Michel Mayor andDidier Queloz, who announced thediscovery of 51 Pegasi-b in 1995.

They found the needle in the haystack that everyone else missed.

“At the time, they thought it wasdue to stellar rotation and not planets,”Moutou said, regarding earlier observations. “... You have to break thatwall and say, ‘That’s a discovery.”

The planet, a “hot Jupiter,” is agas giant with an orbit tighter thanMercury’s, making the gravitationaldance it has with its host star more pronounced and easier to detect. On thisworld, a year lasts a mere four days.

It technically wasn’t the first exoplanet. A few years before, planets were detected orbiting a deadstar known as a pulsar, leaving thepossibility that the planets were abyproduct of the star’s supernova.

What made the ‘95 discovery significant was that the planet orbitsa sun more similar to our own.And that opened the floodgates.

“Maybe not all of them, but most ofthem have a planetary system,” Moutousaid regarding stars in the galaxy.“Many of them have several planets.”

In the field of exoplanet discoveries,

See EXOPLANETS Page 24

Peter Michaud I Gemini spokesman

EXOPLAN ETS

An artist’s rendering of Kepler-78b, an Earth-sized rocky exoplanet discovered by Roberto Sanchis-Ojeda with theMassachusetts Institute of Technology, using Kepler Space Telescope data, and confirmed by Andrew Howard with theUniversity of Hawaii’s Institute for Astronomy, using the W.M. Keck Observatory atop Maunakea. I


EXOPLAN ETSFrom page 23

Maunakea has made several firsts.In 1999, W.M. Keck Observatory

made the first detection of an exoplanet transiting its host star.

The first direct images of exoplanets came in 2008 when theGemini and Keck telescopes captured four planets in orbit arounda star known as HR 8799. Eachare more massive than Jupiter.

Peter Michaud, a spokesman forGemini, said a direct image of aplanet in another solar system waslong seen as the “holy grail.”

“The new challenge is to imagesmaller and smaller worlds,” he said.

Michaud said the discovery waspossible because of the observing conditions on Maunakea.

“You need to have a fairly brightstar, you need the technology likeadaptive optics, but you really needthe exquisite atmospheric conditions tobe able to use it effectively,” he said.

After a quarter century of exoplanet research, a major question

Claire Moutou, resident astronomer at Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope, sits inher office in Waimea.


there to here and the study thislight and interpret what it is.”

She was referring to spectroscopy, the method of analyzinglight reflected off an object todetermine its characteristics.

“Chemicals or molecules inthe atmosphere absorb some ofthe light,” Moutou said. “Andso we can have the spectrum ofthe atmosphere of the planet.”

Those show up as lines on thelight spectrum, representing a barcode of sorts for the planet.

Such data has been recovered froma few exoplanets that orbit too close totheir star to be in the habitable zone.

While life might take differentforms on different worlds, Moutousaid what astronomers want to generally look for is an imbalance ofgasses, such as an abundance ofoxygen; water molecules and lightwavelengths that could be produced from photons reflecting offa surface covered in vegetation.

“Life which is everywhere, whichhas a common signature, and whichhas impacted the atmosphere

See EXOPLANETS Page 25

T&T ELECTRICri

Energy Solutions for The Pacific

I


remains: Do any of them have life?The mere numbers suggests so.

But the proof is in the pudding.“We are not in the age of

spaceships where we can travel and take a look at the soil,”Moutou said. “We still have to relyon the light which travels from

SUPPORTINGASTRONOMY

AND TECHNOLOGYSINCE I

We SaLute OurUnited Kingdom Infrared Tetescope

UH 2.2 Meter Tetescope

L 456-a Kekuanaoa St. • Hi[o, HI 96720 . 8089359029

Sunday, November 12,2017 25Hawaii Tribune-Herald

EXOPLAN ETSFrom page 24

of the planet will be recognizable from Earth,” she said.

So far, scientists have usedspectroscopy to confirm life ononly one planet, and it’s one withwhich we’re quite familiar.

In the early’90s, famed cosmologist Carl Sagan proposed theGalileo spacecraft mm its instruments toward Earth as it traveled toJupiter to test whether such methods could be used to find signs oflife. That was done successfully.

“In its December 1990 fly-by ofEarth, the Galileo spacecraft foundevidence of abundant gaseous oxygen, a widely distributed surfacepigment with a sharp absorptionedge in the red part of the visiblespectrum, and atmospheric methanein extreme thermodynamic disequilibtium; together, these are stronglysuggestive of life on Earth,” Saganand his co-authors wrote in thejournal Nature in 1993. “Moreover,the presence of narrow-band,

pulsed, amplitude-modulatedradio transmission seems uniquely attributable to intelligence.”

Those measurements weretaken within our own solar system. To do the same for planetsmillions of light years away,and especially those in a habitable zone, will require biggertelescopes, Moutou said.

Existing telescopes on Maunakeaaren’t giving up on the hunt.

Several, such as CFHT,Keck and Gemini, are planning new advanced instrumentsto find more exoplanets.

While new space telescopesare being launched, Moutousaid ground-based telescopeswill continue to play an essential role. One of the limitationsof space telescopes is theirinstruments can’t be replaced.

“We can do that from the groundand it’s much more expensive tosend satellites with these,” shesaid. “Ground-based telescopes arevery much important as a synergywith space telescopes to measureand catalog the planetary systems we are about to discover.”

With bigger and better telescopes and instruments on the way,it’s hard not to feel like astronomyis on the cusp of a major discovery.

But asked how soon mightanother world with life beconfirmed, Moutou hesitates. It could be within thefew decades, she suggests.

One thing is known, though. Theimpact of finding another worldwith plants or creatures, no mattertheir form, would be enormous.

“There have been a lot of revolutions like that in recent historyof humanity,” she said, citing therealization the Earth is not the center of the universe as an example.“Knowing Earth is just one earthof millions and billions of earthsin the galactic neighborhood maychange our view of ourselves. Itmay make us more humble. I thinkit will be a very positive impact.”

Michaud agreed.“Are we alone? You can’t imag

ine humanity hasn’t asked thatquestion from the very beginninglooking up at the stars,” he said.“It’s kind of the ultimate question: What else is out there?”

JOy L

P.5-64293

808-640-2544

I


Peter Michaud, Gemini Observatory publicinformation manager, sits in the lobby atGemini headquarters in Hilo.

__A

___

WWW.ISLANDNATURALS.COM-1.• --

___________

HILO KAILUA-KONA PAHOA(808) 935-5533 (808) 326-1122 (808) 965-8322

1121 KIIAUEA AVE. 74-5487 KAIWI ST. DOWNTOWNHILO SHOPPING CENTER OLD INDUSTRIAL AREA

I

MaS

__

Begier.-- ,=1

Mary Begier Realty I RB-14405 1107 Aupuni St. #315 I Hilo HI 96720 1808-935-0737 I

26 Sunday,Novemberl2,2017 Hawaii Tribune-Herald

Ready for anythingOperating in a dangerous environment, rangers and road crew help protect visitors, staff — and Maunakea itself


5cotty Paiva has worn many different hats over the years.

He’s been a police officer, fireman, Coast Guard reserve commander,

and even a nighttime telescope technician.What connects most of them is a desire to

help others. But be says few jobs can compare to his current role as the Office ofMaunakea Management’s chief ranger.

It’s what keeps the 60-year-old Hilo resident out of retirement, and one that makes himresponsible for the well being not only for thethousands of visitors each year — including tourists observatory workers and Hawaiian culturalpractitioners — but also the mountain itself

“There’s no place like this’ Paiva said, as hedrove on the Maunakea access road far abovethe clouds in a Toyota 4-Runner. “We wantto keep it as best as we can so my grandson’sgrandson’s grandson can enjoy this place.”

Paiva is one nine full-time rangers whoare employed by the University of Hawaii atHilo to assist visitors and protect the mountain’s natural and cultural resources in theMaunakea Science Reserve. The universitycreated the rangers program following the formation of OMKM in 2000, a move intended toincrease local management of the mountain.

Despite the title, being a ranger doesn’t come. with a lot of authority. Rangers don’t carry fire-

and can’t make arrests or issue citations.

Maunakea rangers

What makes them effective, Paiva said, is showing aloha for others while also asking them toshow the same respect for the place they’re in.

‘We want people to leave here better than theycame’ he said. “Come up, have a nice time — it’s awonderful place — and leave feeling better So ourguys are trying to be the ambassadors of aloha’

Paiva said most people want to dothe right thing, but he pauses to knockon a wooden table for good luck.

After all, accidents happen.Vehicles especially those without four-wheel

drive, sometimes lose their brakes as they descenddown the winding road from the summit. Hikersor bicyclists — yes, there are peoplewho ride bikes from sea level to thesummit — get caught in badweather, and, most commonly,visitors just aren’t preparedfor lower oxygen levels as they ascend tonearly 14,000 feet.

That means therangers must beprepared for justabout anything.No matter whathappens, they’rethe first on thescene, and additional help, whether by

ambulance or police car, is up to an hour away.Paiva said each ranger carries medical gear

in their vehicles, including oxygen tanks, aswell as extra water. juice and snacks for thosewho find the altitude not agreeing with them.

“You never know what’s on the other sideof the hill,” he said, as he drove down fromthe summit as part of a routine patrol.

About 20 minutes later, Paiva stopped hisvehicle as he saw a woman and man hikingup the road, mostly wearing light clothing.

“How are you guys doing?” heasked. “You got enough water?”

Ip

I.

See RANGERS Page 27

Hawaii Tribune-Herald Sunday, November 12,2017 2’

The young woman saysyes and points to a waterpack she’s carrying.

“OK, OK, good’Paiva responded, beforewarning them about theweather. It was sunnyat the time, but that canchange, he told them.

“Some clouds might becoming in soon so just keepan eye on the weather’ Paivasaid, “because you don’t havevery heavy clothes, it mightget cold later on if it getscloudy, misty and windy.”

The hikers carry onand Paiva puts his vehicle back in gear.

Those contacts occurseveral times a day, he said,noting he’s seen more hikers, and even the occasionaljogger, over the years.

While he was growingup, Paiva said he spent mostof his time on the mountainhunting. Out of respect forthe place, he said he wasraised not to see it as somewhere to play or “holoholo.”

“‘If you didn’t have areason to come up here youdon’t come up here,” Paivasaid his parents told him.“You don’t come up hereto play; this isn’t a recreation area. You come up forsome kind of business.”

Making sure visitorshave the least impact to themountain is part of the job.

While driving morethan 10,000 feet above sealevel, he points off to theleft side of the road, whereremnants of a Hawaiianadze quarry can be seen.

The rocks, hardened bylava contacting glaciersduring the last ice age, wereprized for tool making.

Paiva said a ranger oncecaught people carrying adzechips out in backpacks.

“We reported it toDOCARE and they madea case’ he said, referringto the state Department ofLand and Natural Resources’enforcement division.

“One guy dropped

what he had and left it.”Cases of bad behavior are

rare, Pavia said. Sometimespeople do things they don’tknow are wrong or offensive.

He referred to oneincident where a couplepeople were found kayalting on Lake Waiau, asacred spot to Hawailans.

A ranger saw the vehicledriving up with the kayak, only to find it parkedat a trail head without it.

“So he walks in andthey’re on the lake,” Paivasaid. “So, again, we’re theeyes and ears of DOCARE.”

At the summit, rangerswill check on the observatories and Hawaiianshrines in the area, andask visitors to not walk upPu ‘u Wekiu, Maunakea’stallest point and anotherspot used by Hawaiianreligious practitioners.

When snow falls onMaunakea, rangers are upat 3 a.m. to do their weather checks, Paiva said, andare on the mountain beforesunrise. Once the road isfree of snow and ice, theywill open it to the public.

Pickup trucks full ofsnow and boogie boardsas stand-ins for sledsbecome a common site.

Paiva said the rangers don’t stop peoplefrom playing in the snow.But they try to warn ofthe dangers of sleddingdown the cinder cones.

“You know how you gonna stop? Lava rocks’ he said.

Overall, Paiva said heenjoys most working withpeople of all types andbackgrounds who use themountain, from astronomersto the many visitors withwhich he interacts. Theview also is hard to beat.

“It’s beautiful uphere,” he said. “I get aneat kind of inner peacewhen I’m up here.”

Paiva adds, “We’re herefor everyone. Everyone whocomes up is our guest.”

After 32 years working on Maunakea,Tracy Miyashiroknows the access

road like the back of his hand.From the Hale Pohaku mid-lev

el facilities, the road snakes itsway up the mountain, gainingmore than 4,000 feet in elevationand covering 8.5 miles before itreaches the observatories atop.

About half is unpaved, and it’s upto Miyashiro and other road maintenance operators with the Office ofMaunakea Support Services to keepit open. That means grading it severaltimes a week and removing snowin the winter, on slopes that rangefrom 10 percent to 15 percent.

“It’s challenging up herejust dealing with the weather,” said Miyashiro, of Hilo.

Then there’s the lower oxygenlevels, an issue anyone workingon the mountain has to face. Hesaid the altitude doesn’t botherhim much anymore, though he’slearned it’s best to pace himself.

In their baseyard just aboveHale Pohaku, sits the onlysnowplows in the state.

Miyashiro said he did somesnow removal while in the U.S.Army, but none of that comparesto the hazards of Maunakea.

“Safety is a big concern,’ hesaid. ‘Because it something happens with us it’s just us up there.

and maintenance supervisor

We have to rely on each other tomake sure everybody is safe.”

Miyashiro said they see a majorsnow storm every 10 years or so,with the worst occurdng in 1991.

That was when 14 feet of snowcovered what’s known as GoodrichPass, not far below the summit.

“We had a 0-9 dozer pushing snow, we got tracks on it,and the thing just started slidingand you ain’t stopping 80,000pounds,” Miyashiro said.

“You ain’t stopping thatuntil you hit something. So thatwas a learning experience.”

it the grader starts sliding becauseof icy conditions, he said the bestthing to do is to get in a highergear so the tires can catch up.

Alika Toledo andTracy Miyashirochange the tireon a road grader in Septemberat Hale Pohakuon Maunakea.


“You lift the blade up, you getit up to speed with the ground,”Miyashiro said, “and kind of hopefully from there try to slow it down.That’s the best thing you can do.”

According to MKSS, the roadcosts about $550,000 a year tomaintain, plus another $1 25,000for removing snow. Costs arecovered by the observatories.

But it’s not just telescopes that benefit.

In 2016, 35,571 vehicles wentup the mountain, according to MKSOf that, 13,396, or about 37 percent, belonged to observatory crewsor permitted tours. The rest wasattributed to the general public.

The utilities division, which he •works fo also is responsible formaintaining about 30 vehicles and theHale Pohaku mid-level facilities, wheretelescope workers eat and sleep.

“ft’s definitely a full plate aroundhere,” said Alika Toledo, utilities andmaintenance supervisor. “We try todo as much as we can ourselves.”

One project is adding moreice detectors along the road,which would be used to updatethe Maunakea Weather Centerwebsite. Toledo said that wouldgive the public a better sense ofconditions before they head up.

Toledo, a Hilo resident and former operating engineer, said hewouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

“I was born and raised here,’he said. “I grew up huntingon this mountain. It’s definitely a special place to be.”

RANGERS Frompage26

I


Maunakea road crew

Alika ToledoMaunakea Support Services utilities

28 Sunday, November12, 2017

.ø.

Visitors peerthrough a solartelescope at theMaunakea VisitorInformation Station.



Gateway to the

STARSVisitor Information Station helps public

experience ‘amazing’ views of space


The MaunakeaVisitor InformationStation has servedas the gateway

to the mountain formore than 30 years.

It offers a place torest and get acclimated before ascendingthe steep, winding roadto the summit, a smallretail shop, as well asfree stargazing toursseveral nights a week.

But as the popularity ofthe mountain as a touristdestination increases, sohas the pressure on thishumble 1,700-square-foot

building, situated about9,000 feet above sea level.

“It’s become a tourist destination whenthat’s not what thegoal was,” said JannoScheer, VIS manager.

UH’s Office ofMaunakea SupportServices operates theVIS with a staff of 13full-time and part-timeworkers and numerousvolunteers. It costs about$2 million a year to operate, with funding comingfrom the observatories,permitted tour operatorsand retail sales, according to Stewart Hunter,MKSS general manager.

Hunter said the VIS’role remains ensuringthe safety of visitorsand educating themabout the mountain,including the culturaland natural resources.

But the increasing popularity of the mountaindoes make that a challenge, he acknowledged,.

“We rival (HawaiiVolcanoes National Park)”on travel sites, Hunter said.

He said traffic hasincreased significantlyfollowing improvementsto Saddle Road, whichprompted rental car

See GATEWAY Page 29


companies to remove theirrestrictions from usingthe cross-island route, andthe rise of social media.

In 2014, MKSS estimated about 750 people a daywent to the VIS, thoughsome were counted morethan once if they went upto the summit. During thesummer nights, stargazingevents can attract 450.

The popular events allowvisitors to peer through someof its seven telescopes, whichrange in size from 4 inchesto 16 inches. Stargazing isheld from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.Tuesday, Wednesday, Fridayand Saturday. Volunteers alsoprovide talks on constellations and Hawaiian navigation. Parking is limited.

The VIS opens at noon.“We look at things mil

lions of years away fromus, as far as light travels,”said Margaux Mellott,

VIS interpretive guide.There’s also an “amaz

ing” view of the MilkyWay, she said.

Despite limitations,Scheer said 98 percent ofpeople leave happy, whichshe credits her staff.

“I think we’re all herefor the same purpose,” shesaid. “We like being onthe mountain. We like toprovide support and services to the public.”

Visitors come fromcountries all over theglobe, with an increasingnumber from South Koreaand China, Scheer said.

That means staff haveto answer questions inmultiple languages.

Most commonly, theywant to know where is therestroom. Occasionally,they’ll get asked aboutwhere the restaurantor bar is located.

While they can’t offer thelatter, Scheer said they dotry to keep the VIS stockedto meet visitors’ needs.

That includes a smallselection of beverages

and sandwiches. For theadventurous, there’s freeze-dried ice cream calledan “astrosandwich”

But since most don’t packwinter clothing for a trip to

Hawaii, the most popularitems are no surprise. Atthe VIS, temperatures canbe near freezing at night.

“Sweatshirts are our No.1 seller,” Scheer said.

“Then zipup shirts andsweatpants. Socks havebeen an amazingly effective seller.”

Hunter said they try tosource local and avoid itemsthat might look gimmicky.

“(Sales) help the VIS butit’s not our focus,” he said.

Working on the mountainis about more than just a jobfor Scheer. It’s also a chanceto enjoy the peace it offers.

“For me, coming up here,is more of a spiritual thing forme,” she said. “Just becausewhen you’re up here at 6o’clock on the morning, thereis nothing happening ... and ifyou go up to any of the pu’usor you go to the summit, it’squiet and you can just breathand nothing else matters.”

Email Tom Catlis at tcatlis@hawaiitribune-heraid. corn.

The 25m Mauna Kea VLBA antenna isone often composing a continent-widearray of JO radio telescopes. The VLBAprovides the highest imaging angularresolution in all of astronomy andcontributes to a rich spectrum of

GATEWAY From page 28


Margaux Mellott, Maunakea Visitor Information Stationinterpretive guide, explains the capabilities of the differenttelescopes kept at the VIS on Maunakea.

science from asteroids to black holes.

‘ 30 Sunday, November 12, 2017 Hawaii Tribune-Herald


In a state known for its diversity,perhaps no place is more cosmopolitan than Hale Pohaku.

The mid-level facilitiesat about the 9,200-foot elevationhouses and feeds astronomers andtelescope workers from HawaiiIsland and across the globe.

In the lobby, flags represent thedozen or so countries that take partin astronomy atop Maunakea, someof which, like China and Taiwan,aren’t on the best diplomatic terms.

But they come together herejust above the inversion layer.

For the facility’s cooks, that givesthem a good excuse to try new things.

“We have all-around-the-world food,” said Alan Hara,

food and lodging manager. “Ifit’s a hit, we keep the recipe.”

Most of the telescope crews arefrom the island, so meals oftenskew toward local tastes. But hetries to introduce food from elsewhere on a monthly rotation thatvisitors will find familiar.

“In fact, before they come,they will give me recipes ifthey want,” Hara said.

They will serve about 200 mealsthroughout the day, either in thecafeteria or up at the summit.

That starts at about 6:30 a.m. withthe first rush from telescope workers.

By the time lunch rolls around,they will have meals ready to be delivered atop the mountain, where theyare served in a former utility room, as

An international‘hotel’ at 9,200 feet

Warm meals, cozy rooms awaitastronomers at Hale Pohaku

Photos: HOLLYN JOHNSON)Tribune-Herald

Telescope workers grab dinner at Hale Pohaku.

Flags of the countries working with the Maunakea telescopes line the lobbyofHalePohaku.

See HALE Page 31

Wade Yoshizumi, cook, preps food for the telescope workers at Hale Pohaku.Telescope workers eat breakfast at Hale Pohaku.

Sunday, November 12,2017 31Hawaii Tribune-Herald

HALE From page 30

well as in the Hale Pohaku cafeteria.What matters most, he said,

is keeping their stomachsfull at such high altitude.

“I’ve heard all kind of things,”Hara said, regarding what foodis best for the summit. “I thinksome people, greasy food doesn’taffect them at all. Some say greasyfood is not good. Some people, noproblem, they have no problem.The main thing is their stomachis full. If their stomach is empty, they don’t feel too good.”

Cooks will continue workingthrough dinner. For anyone whomisses a meal, they can makesandwiches or a bowl of soupin the cafeteria, Hara said.

He has worked in the hoteland food industry for 19 years,but said there’s nothing likeworking at Hale Pohaku.

The facility offers 7$ rooms,which he described as a “comfortable small hotel room,” as well as arecreation room with pooi tables.

Hara said they used to average 50 to 60 people a night, butwith telescopes switching toremote observing, that is downbetween 20 and 30 most nights.

Rob Hayes, a housekeeper andassistant cook, has worked on themountain for the past 10 years.

He said he has to be a bit ofa jack-of-all-trades and enjoysmaking people feel comfortable at the high elevation.

“The first day I felt a little woozy,” Hayes said, becauseof the thinner atmosphere.“After that, I’m fine.”

Some are not so lucky.“I’ve seen people walk through

the door and collapse,” Hayessaid. If that happens, they aretrained to administer oxygen.

During his first year, he saidthey saved the life of an infantwho was brought up the mountain by their family, who wereon vacation from Japan.

The baby was unconsciouswhen they pulled into theirparking lot seeking help.

“We ended up saving it byputting it on oxygen,” Hayessaid. “There were three of us inthe kitchen. We couldn’t under-

I

I

Telescope workers have the option of getting meals in a break room on thesummit of Maunakea.

stand what they were saying, butwe knew” what was wrong.

Email Tom Cattis at tcatlis@hawaiitribane-heraid. corn.

Rob Hayes, a housekeeper and assistant cook, preps food for the telescopeworkers in September in a break room on the summit of Maunakea.

IAlan Hara, Hale Pohaku food and lodging manager. A van is kept on Maunakea for medical emergencies.


To get the best pictures of the universe, observatoriesneed a large “light

bucket,” as astronomerssometimes call their primary mirrors, to collect asmany photons as possible.

But they also need sophisticated instruments to takethe images and collect dataso they can really understand what’s going on billions of light years away.

That’s where people likeJohn White come in.

The 58-year-old Hilo resident is the senior instrumentengineer for the GeminiObservatory atop Maunakea.

His job is to be a troubleshooter of sorts. It’s up tohim to ensure the instrumentswork as they should whenthey’re needed so that a nightof observing doesn’t go towaste. That requires him towork not just with electronics, but also the cryogenicsthat chill the instrumentsto keep out interference.

“Whenever you find asolution to a problem, that’salways a really great feeling’ said White, who hasworked for telescopes onMaunakea for 28 years.

It’s ajob he said he stillfinds rewarding and chaflènging to this day. But he almostfell into it by accident.

White, who was born inHonokaa and raised in Waimea,said he initially wanted tobe an architect. Noticingthat computers were makingdrafting obsolete, he studiedbusiness in college instead.

Then he graduated anda recession hit. Nobodywas hiring, he said.

White came back to HawaiiIsland, where he enrolled atHawaii Community Collegein Hilo to study electronics.

At the time, he didn’t knowanything about it. But he figured that would give him afoothold in another career.He expected to return to themainland in search for work.

But then White landed apart-time job as an electricianfor the Joint Astronomy Centrewhere he found a mentor whotaught him things he was toldnot to worry about only a fewmonths before in college.

“He was using a piece ofequipment called a logic analyzer’ he said. “... This is oneof the things with electronics class we were told don’tbother, you won’t see it.”

That sparked his interest,and he has been at it ever since.

“Electronics here in Hawaii

is limited to a few things,”White said, noting he feelslucky to have a career here.

And a lot has changedduring the past three decades.

He recalls using floppydisks to store data when hefirst started. Now, he can usea webcam in the control roomin Hilo to solve problemswith workers on the summit,something Gemini introducedalmost from the start in 1999.

Working with astronomers might not be the mostimportant job in the world,he said, but it does help givehim a different perspective.

“If it has taught me anything,it’s how incredibly huge theuniverse is,” White said. “Thedistances are unimaginable,simply unimaginable. And tothink that we are on a little tinyblue marble, as someone oncesaid, amongst tens of billions ofmarbles, bright marbles, withmaybe marbles around it. Andthere is nothing out there thatwe know of that comes closeto the life here on Earth.”

for those interested ina similar field, he advisedthem to keep an open mind.

“You never know what doorwill open,” White said. “Younever know what opportunity will pop up. If it’s interesting and it interests you,then you should pursue it.”


The telescope whispererJohn White’s job: To keep Gemini’s sophisticated instruments working

Hawaii Tribune-HeraldI

I

II

ILL

John White of Gemini Observatory.HOLLYN JOHNSONITribuneHeraId

Proudly serving our Big Islandcommunity for nearly 35 years.

Kona 329-1341 Hilo 935-4196 I altres.com ALTRE5.

Cheers to 50 years of Exploring the Universe!Happy Anniversary UH Institute of Astronomy

— -Ik.

Proudly servingHJ for over 60 years

Maguire Bearing Co1 LTD855 lolanI Street1 HIlo 96720

Phone: 808-9614867 Fax: 808-961-5052


-‘vThe:--

‘Big Bang versus Kumulipo’‘lmiloa Astronomy Center strikes unique balance between science, Hawaiian culture


Growing up in Waimea, Ka’iuKimura didn’t know muchabout the work astronomers didon Maunakea or about those

who lived in the small community.“I think when astronomy began it was all

about the research and accessing Maunakeaas the best place on Earth to study the universe from,” said Kimura, director of the‘Imiloa Astronomy Center. “And I think asthe years moved on, as the decades movedon, the community became more involved,more concerned with what was happeningon Maunakea. And out of that conversation

came this idea to build an education center that would have these perspectives.”

That place became ‘Jmiloa, which openedin 2006 with the mission of bringing modemastronomy and the Hawaiian culture together, and better communicating benefits of theresearch on the mountain to the public.

Sitting at the University of Hawaiiat Hilo, the 40,000-square-foot centerincludes three titanium cones representing the island’s largest mountains, easilysetting it apart architecturally from otherbuildings on campus. Inside, it hosts a 3-Dplanetarium and exhibits on astronomy andHawaiian culture, including those highlighting traditional Hawaiian navigation.

In the last fiscal year, the facility welcomed 61,000 people, according to ‘Imiloa.

“Our mission is to provide a balancedperspective between astronomy and culture,”said Kalepa Baybayan, ‘Imiloa’s residentnavigator. “For example, the idea of howthe universe came together, we have the BigBang theory and we have the Kumulipo (aHawaiian creation chant). It’s shared space.”

Baybayan, a master navigator and Hokuleacaptain, said he sees a “metaphoric relationship” between traditional Hawaiiannavigation and astronomy on Maunakea.

“We are both very interested in celestial bodies,” he said.

See’IMILOA Page 34 I

34 Sunday, November 12,2017 Hawaii Tribune-Herald

IlftIiII AI lvii IJti From page 33

Kimura, who studiedHawaiian language andliterature at UH-Hilo, gotinvolved in the discussionsto form ‘Imiloa in its earlystages following the new millennium. She became deputydirector after its opening andexecutive director in 2010.

“I saw it as an opportuni-‘ ty to advance our Hawaiian

language, to advance ourHawaiian woridview,” shesaid. “And I thought bybringing that together withscience, modem science, itcould really empower bothscience and our culturalrevitalization efforts by coming together to forge newways of understanding.”

During the planning stages, Kimura said they createdabout 200 new Hawaiianwords to describe phenome

“You got to understanddeeply what those conceptsare, and you got to understand deeply how to createthat same sort of understanding in a totally different language,” she said.

While everyone agreedon the mission, there wassome clashing of perspectiveson how to do that. Kimurasaid that was a healthyprocess to go through.

“In that process, I sawpeople who could not agreeat all, on Big Bang versus Kumulipo,” she said.

“That the validity on eitherone, they couldn’t agree. Isaw they were really transformed through the processof having to work very closely together, explaining oneanother’s perspectives verydeeply because they had tocreate a product that wasusable for the general publicwalking through ‘Imiloa.”

Over the years, Kimurasaid the astronomy community significantly has increasedits engagement with the restof the island, creating newopportunities for children toget involved and feel connected to the work they do. And‘Imiloa is often there, too,helping to support programs

like Journey Through theUniverse and MaunakeaScholars, and provide themwith cultural education.

There is still tension andconflict over use of Maunakeafor astronomy, as seen withthe protests against the proposed Thirty Meter Telescope.

Kimura said she hopes

‘Imiloa can still serve asa place for dialogue.

She said she also is looking to include that conflictin an exhibit that could beready by the end of 2017.

Kimura said it will givea historical overview ofMaunakea from differentdimensions, including astronomical, natural, social-political and management.

“So this issue with TMThas given us the opportunity, made us realize that weneed to step up to that andbe this resource for the community to learn about thehistorical development onMaunakea,” she said. “That’sone way we are responding to the current issues.”

‘Imiloa is open from9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdaythrough Sunday at 600‘Imiloa Place, Hilo.

On the web: www.imiloahawaii.org.

Email Tom Catlis at tcaltis@hawaiitribune-heraid. corn.

Courtesyphoto

The ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawaii is located at 600Imiloa Place in Hilo.

non and objects in space notvisible to the naked eye, suchas black hole and nebula.

Discover ..... how fun and inspiringHawaiian culture and science can be forijour children.

c T A Entertain .... ijour family/guests withI M ILOii our planetarium shows.

Astronomy Center of Hawai’i Celebrate ... special events with ijourloved ones in our function rooms.

PRESERVING THE CULTURAL AND NATURAL RESOURCES FOR FU7URE GENERATIONS

:

___

The Office of Maunakea Management has devoted over 15 years to steWardship of the University’smanaged lands on Maunakea. Its dedication and actions to preserve the cultural and naturalresources were recognized through several awards including the prestigious 2017 PreservationCommendation Award from Historic Hawai’i Foundation for its “commitment to stewardship andbest practices in cultural resource understanding, protection and preservation” oriMaunakea.

The Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce bestowed its 2017 Pualu Cultural and Heritage award forOMKM s “impIementatim of its Long Term Histortc Property Monitoring Plan that specificallyenhances cultural stewardship on Maunakea and preserves our island’s cultural heritage.

-‘-n -

OMKM was established to oversee the Maunakea ScienceReserve. It works closely with the Maunakea ManagementBoard, Kahu Ku Mauna, a council comprised of Hawaiiancultural resource persons, and the community at large.

malamamaunakea.org


Hoku Kea director Pierre Martin takes the manual mirror cover off of the newtelescope in February at University of Hawaii at Hilo.

UN undergrads sharetelescope time

with astronomersBy TOM CALLIS


Agraduate degree is nolonger required to usesome of the best telescopes in the world.

In 2016, the University of Hawaiiagreed to share some of its viewingtime on the Maunakea telescopeswith undergraduate students in Hilo.

Pierre Martin, astronomy associate professor at UH-Hilo, said inan email that the program started inFebruary 2017, noting it is workingwell except for some lost time dueto bad weather on the mountain.

Research proposals are submittedby UH-Hilo faculty members but theyinclude an educational component.

“To my knowledge, no other undergraduate program hasaccess to such a large panopiyof observatories,” Martin said.

“The opportunities to conductresearch here and learn aboutmodem techniques of astronomy are rather amazing, really.”

UH-Hilo’s astronomy program includes five tenured or tenured-track professors and about 40students. Another 15 were in thephysics program in fall 2017.

UH-Manoa, which hosts theInstitute for Astronomy, receivesbetween 10 percent and 15 percent of the viewing time attelescopes on Maunakea.

Through the program, up to16 nights a year will eventually go to UH-Hilo faculty andstudents, with six nights a yearduring the first five years.

Martin said UH-Hilo’s focusis on observational astronomy.

The undergraduate programhas seen some setbacks.

The site of its Hoku Kea teaching telescope has been selected fordecommissioning. As of October2017, UH-Hilo was still searchingfor a new site for a replacement2$-inch telescope and dome.

Email Tom Catlis at tcattis@hawaiitribune-heraid. corn.

assocIate degrees available in

I


Natural Sci,nc_

Hilo and Konaand prepares

you to transferto bachelor’s degree

STEM programs.

1

36 Sunday, November 12,2017 Hawaii Tribune-Herald

HAWAII ASTRONOMY DISCOVERIES AND TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENTS

Relics of our Solar SystemDiscovered on Maunakea

The Kuiper Belt was discovered in 1992and observations from the UH 88” werecritical to this accomplishment. Thisregion of our solar system, whichextends from roughly the orbit ofNeptune to about 50 times the earth-sun distance, contains an enormousnumber of small icy bodies thought tobe remnants from the formation of oursolar system. Pluto is a member of theKuiper belt, which sources many of the êshort period comets that traverse theinner solar system and we see fromearth. Kuiper Belt Objects

Facility Class Adaptive OpticsArrives First on Maunakea

_____

1997 yielded the first imageof the Galactic Center withfacility class adaptive optics(from CFHT) seen here atnear infrared wavelengths.The increase in resolution isstunning and diffraction •rings adorn stars, an ‘

indication that the image is ‘a

approaching its theoretical• a

maximum resolution. It

Large TelescopesMeet Large Cameras

atSuharu

In 2000 Subaru ushered in the eraof wide field Imaging with a large •format telescope using SuprimeCam. A first and a feat that has not The new Hypi

been repeated since. This capability Sttprttue C.jni’tj

stems from Subaru being the only 8 Iec is the—10 m class telescope in the world only large formatthat supports a prime focus CJIUCF,1 Ofl

8-10 m classInstrument complement. Today the telescopemammoth Hyper Suprime Camera isused regularly, offering 1.5 deg widefields of view using 870 millionpixels in its digital focal plane.

Laser Adaptive Optics Developedon Maunakea

In 2003 Keck released for use anambitious laser adaptive opticssystem that has over the yearsdeveloped into the mostscientifically productive laser A0program in the world. Keck helpedpioneered laser AO for astronomy,providing some of the highest A first light image recorded

resolution images of celestialobjects ever recorded. above is an edge-on proto

planetary nebula, with dustforming the dark band.


SoLai

rIr r —

IIL;i.2 II Ii Sn

it’.* zm.c ,fl.


Mars r Methane = Life?

In 2005 observations made by theNASA IRTF on Maunakea (and laterconfirmed at Keck Observatory)proved that methane is beingreplenished in the abnosphereof ‘

Mats The source of this gas which ischemically volatile and breaks downeasily, remains unknown but the twomost likely sources are either geologic A map showing the distribution ofor biologic processes. On earth, methane in the atmosphere of Mars.microbes produce large amounts ofmethane and this discovery opens thepossibility of similar biological actMtyon Mars.

The First Image of an ExoplanetarySystem was from Maunakea

In 2008 astronomers announced thediscovery of an entire exoplanetarysystem around the star HR 8799. Thewhite dots surrounding the host star.imaged by Gemini and Keck, wereunprecedented and will be reproduced Top — the first image ot an

in astronomy text books throughoutthe 21st century. These images are a Bottom — an artist’s concept of how

testament to the exquisite observing HR 8799 might look up close.

conditions on Maunakea and thetechnologies used at the MaunakeaObservatories



A “Second Jupiter” Is DiscoveredIn 2013 the lowest mass exoplanetever directly imaged was detectedby Subaru Telescope. This planet(GJ 504b) which has a masscomparable to that of Jupiter wasdetectedthroughtheuseof ‘-

innovative coronagraphic imagingand adaptive optics at SubaruDirect imaging allows directmeasurements of planetary orbits, Direct Imaging of exoplanets yields amasses, and luminosities. Gi 504b wealth of information about theseis further from its host star than objects, including a direct measurement

of their masses. These images fromNeptune is from our sun and Subaru Telescope are of an exoplanetchallenges models of planet with a mass comparable to Jupiter’s — aformation, which do not easily first in astronomy.

explain how Jupiter-like planets canform so far from their host stars.

Where Did the Elements Come From?Understanding the origin of matterprovides incredible insight into physicalprocesses that make life and the worldwe know possible. One such mysterywas substantially solved by Subaru ‘,. .

Telescope in 2015 when observations ofNova Delphini 2013 showed large .-

amounts of lithium being produced by ‘A

nuclear reactions in the immediate- aftermath of this explosion. The third

lightest element, with only traceamounts produced during the Big Bangand other mechanisms, lithium’sproduction has been the subject of from a star spiraling onto aastronomical research for decades. nearby white dwarf overtimeThanks to observations made at Subaru, accumulates enough to triggerwe have a much better understanding of an explosion. This process can

where the element that powers modem repeat many times in such

batteries, computers, cell phones, etc.systems.

comes from.

Hawaii Astronomy — A Legacy of PushingFurther Back in Space and Time

In 2015 the most distant galaxy everdetected (named EGS8p7) wasconfirmed via observations made atKeck observatory. The universe was ..

only about 600 million years old Nwhen this galaxy formed. Modern N.cosmology predicts that the universewas filled with atomic hydrogen inthat period, which would absorb theultraviolet radiation from stars.Surprisingly an ultraviolet emissionline was detected at Keck from thisincredibly distant object, leading toreconsideration of the conditions inthe early universe.


A New Class of Distant and ?revio . wisibleGalaxy Discovered

In 1998 JCMT s instrument SCUBA wasable to take full advantage of the e ‘4extraordinary conditions on Maunakea to /4 ,

conduct observations at microwave ,

frequencies to detect ultra-luminous dustyV

galaxies, a previously undetected class ofdistant galaxies. These objects emit .

copious amounts of radiation but are so .

heavily enshrouded in dust that they arerendered invisible except at far infrared Bright knots in this ultra deepand radio wavelengths. They are so bright microwave image of the distantat radio wavelengths that they emit as universe are never before

- detected incredibly luminousmuch radio energy as all optical light in the galaxies. They are so heavilyearly universe. This discovery challenged enshrouded in dust that theytheories on star formation in the early are not detected at optical or

universe,infrared wavelengths.

I

FA New Technique to Ma Location Dark

Matter Across the UniverseNearly O years later Hubble Space

In 1986 the first image of a “strong” Telescope recorded this image

gravitational lens was recorded at CEHT.The mysterious arc of light was at firstmisinterpreted but eventually correctlyshown to be the result of a powerful =

gravitational field created by dark matterin the midst of a galaxy cluster. Whatmakes this important is that this -

observation paved the way to usinggravitational “lensing” to map the ,.

distribution of the dominant form of .

matter across the universe — dark matter.

•,

•q*

CFHT’s 1986 image of Abell 370’spowerful gravitational lens heralds

the beginning of mapping darkmatter across the entire universe. -


Mahalo, MaunakeaF

oroverathousandyears, Maunakea wastreasured as a beaconto guide fearless sea

farers into safe refuge. Theywere the best astronomersof their age, able to pinpointtheir location on a spinningsphere, orbiting a distant sun,using the stars visible at nightand connections to the wind,currents and signs of the seato navigate a vast ocean.

Once ashore, Maunakeawas revered as a source of 4water and food needed tosustain thousands of people.Maunakea was a giver of lifeitself. This majestic mountainwas also revered as a portalto Wakea (sky father) andPapahanaumoku who broughtforth all things ftom po, avast sea of empty darkness.Captured in the Kumulipo orcreation story, this genesisof life has always inttigued

me as an astronomer in the21st century who has spentmost of my life in the gracesof Maunakea’s shadow.

Today’s astronomy depictsa genesis of all things thatstarted in a Big Bang, whichemerged from an infinite vacuum — a vast sea of infinitedarkness. This intersection oforigins — in what Hawaiiansbelieved for centuries andwe have discovered usingsophisticated techniques fromMaunakea and beyond — isperhaps the intersectionof our collective future.

Tonight, the most powerfulcollection of telescopes in theworld will harvest ancient lightfrom distant reaches of ouruniverse to answer ancientquestions. They are part ofan epic quest to unravel thenature and genesis of allmatter, energy and life in therealm we call the universe.

The tallest mountainon Earth, and the secondlargest shield volcano inour entire solar system,Maunakea is arguably thebest site on our planet forobserving the cosmos.

Surrounded by a fiatocean surface on all sides forthousands of miles, the placidtopography of Maunakeaminimizes turbulence in theair that is gently blown up andover its summit, leading toexquisite clarity in our views otdistant nebulae and galaxies.

From Maunakea, we seeour origins reflected in thenight sky above. The uniqueattributes of Maunakea, including some of the darkest skiesanywhere and its high altitude,leaving most water vapor tarbelow, make it a treasure forstudying the universe, andfor studying ourselves. Fromthat vantage point, today’s

astronomers have made someof the most startling discoveries in history, including abehemoth black hole lurkingin the heart of our Milky Waygalaxy, and the existence ofthe greatest form of energy inthe universe — so-called DarkEnergy — that pervades allspace, including that betweenthe molecules in our bodies.Maunakea is a key to unlocking the mysteties of our existence. It is a sacred and timeless place of peace, reverence,knowledge and guidance.

We all ride a wave of lifethat crests in our time. For theHawaiians that came beforeus, and the generations thatwill follow, Maunakea helpssustain that wave of life.

This special section ofthe Tribune-Herald celebrates some of the manystories of the MaunakeaObservatories as they too

ride that wave of life.One of those stories is

about high school studentsfrom Honokaa who areamong the first teenagersin the world to use the mostpowerful telescopes in theworld to probe their chosenpiece of distant space.

They are among thefirst of many opio that, withpowerful time machines attheir fingertips, will exploreancient space and connectthat to modern space. In thenear future, young MaunakeaScholars will participate ina fantastic search for nearby terrestrial class planetsthat, once discovered, theywill name for posterity.

These may be amongthe planets that a futuregeneration will send the firstinterstellar probes, in thesearch for life beyond theconfines of island earth.

Think of it: In a century ortwo, our species may reachout to touch life on a distantworld, named by a child inschool now, in our midst, inHawaii. It’s not that far-fetched.

The story that begana thousand years ago bybrave seafarers who reliedupon Maunakea to signalhome, continues today aswe search for distant islandsafloat in space with thegoal of improving the livesof future generations.

This multi-generationcascade of discoveries isour legacy in Hawaii. WhenMaunakea was discovered bythe first Hawaiians centuriesago, it wasn’t the end of avoyage. It was the beginning ofan incredible journey that weare just starting to recognize.

— Doug Simons,on behalf of the

Maunakea Observatories.

.‘--.

Big Island Teats, Inc.(808) 885-3534 • blgislandtents.com I

Over the past half century, the Maunakea Observatories have created well over athousand green high-tech jobs, provided education opportunities for tens of thousands

of students, and sourced well over a billion dollars in investment in Hawai’i.

To our neighbors, friends, families, colleagues, and partnersin this journey, mahalo nui ba for making all of this possible.

MAUNAKEA DBSERVATDRIES

Documents

D uJ - University of Hawaii · generated by 20th century astronomy may be answered in the 21St century, and the Maunakea Observatories will be key to finding those answers. Our knowledge