Message from CFHT Librarian, Liz Bryson:
CFHT Community Outreach Recent Past Events August 31st, 2009: CFHT hosted a Library night at the Bond Memorial Library in Kohala from 6:30 to 7:30pm. We had demonstrations of how Comets are made, and the telescope model. There were coloring and free magazine giveaways. MKOOC donated books to the library. September 26th, 2009: A Solar System walk was held in Kamuela from 10am to 2pm. The walk began at the W. M. Keck Observatory offices and followed Mamalahoa Highway west to the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope offices. Booths marked the planets and other objects in our solar system. Pictures from this event may be found online at: http://www.naoj.org/staff/kumiko/200909.Waimea/ . October 17th, 2009: CFHT participated in the Relay for Life in Lindsey Park in Kamuela. The event began at 6pm, and went until 6am in the morning on Sunday October 18th. We had a team walking and goodies for sale at our booth. October 24th, 2009: International Year of Astronomy Block Party was held at the Science and Technology park at the University of Hawaii, Hilo campus from 2:00-9:00pm. There were activities at hands on stations and evening stargazing. October 29th, 2009: CFHT staff participated in the GEMS (Girls in Engineering, Math, and Science) day at the Keauhou Beach Resort. December 5th, 2009: CFHT held their annual Star Party on their front lawn in Waimea starting just around 7pm after the Christmas Parade of Lights in Waimea town. There were activities for the kids, refreshments to keep you warm, viewing of the summit night time observing, ask an astronomer, and telescope viewing of the night sky though only Jupiter was easily visible. Upcoming Events December 10th, 2009: CFHT will help in the judging at the Kohala Science Fair held at Kohala Middle School from 2pm until 5:30pm. December 10th, 2009: Family Science Night will be held at Waimea Middle School Gym at 5:30pm. January 23rd, 2010: Astronaut Ellison Onizuka Science Day will be held at the University of Hawaii, Hilo campus from 8am to 3pm. There will be workshops, many displays, and science demonstrations. Check out last years event at: http://www.astroday.net/OSD2009.html . Also the upcoming event site: http://ww2.earthday.net/node/16841 . February 13th, 2010: CFHT will again provide judges for the East Hawaii Science Fair. Check the papers for the details of this event. We will update this site when we have that information as well.
CFHT Celebrates 30 Years
The plaque in the lobby of the telescope at the summit reads:
This Observatory is a joint facility of
It was dedicated on September 28, 1979 by
On September 28th, 2009, CFHT officially turned 30 years old. The staff held a celebration at the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel on October 30th. The staff enjoyed a buffet lunch (see the pictures below). Click on images below to enlarge. 
CFHT is releasing some goodies for its 30th birthday. There are a 370MPixels image with half a million galaxies, an illustrated essay on CFHT by D. Gillette, and two wallpaper photographs. These are available at the following website. Ancient Sea Travelers had heads in the clouds A stone tool found on a remote Pacific island has provided evidence that early Polynesians travelled 2,500 miles by canoe using only the stars, clouds and seabirds as navigational aids. Scientists have found that the stone adze, found on a coral atoll in what is now French Polynesia, was quarried from volcanic rock in Hawaii, on the other side of the Pacific Ocean. It was transported about 1,000 years ago by Polynesian voyagers in wooden canoes, either as a chunk of uncut rock used for ballast, or as a gift or memento. Its Hawaiian provenance confirms what Pacific peoples have long been told through folklore - that their ancestors were among the most skilled navigators in history. Star-gazing In Hawaii Star-gazing in Hawaii is encouraging visitors to see Hilo's Imiloa Center to learn about modern astronomy and ancient way-finding. Hawaiian Star Compass Developed by Nainoa Thompson, Based on the Micronesian Star Compass of Mau Piailug. To help him orient the canoe to the rising and setting points of stars, the wayfinder uses a star compass with thirty-two equidistant directional points around the horizon, each point 11.25 degrees from the next point (11.25 degrees x 32 points = 360 degrees). Each point is the midpoint of a house of the same name, and each house is 11.25 degrees wide (11.25 degrees x 32 houses = 360 degrees). The four cardinal directions have traditional Hawaiian names:
Children's Books
Upcoming Astronomical Events
All times listed above are HST unless otherwise indicated. The link below contains many calendars and includes a nice section on astronomical events. Check it out!
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