ʻImiloa Astronomy Center of Hawaiʻi

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Peter B. Giles, Director (pgiles@imiloahawaii.org)
Kaʻiu Kimura, Associate Director (Kkimura@imiloahawaii.org)
Project Office: (808) 989-9700
www.imiloahawaii.org

ʻImiloa Astronomy Center of Hawaiʻi opened in February 2006, and is a part of the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo. The new center brings the fabled Maunakea mountain with its world-famous astronomy within the reach of every visitor to the Big Island of Hawaiʻi. The Center is located in the Science and Technology Park within the UH Hilo campus, off Komohana and Nowelo Streets.

ʻImiloa, a Hawaiian word meaning to explore or to pursue profound knowledge, offers visitors an authentic Hawaiian journey through time and space, beginning with a simulated ascent up Maunakea. This experience includes the Kumulipo chant, depicting the ancient Hawaiian account of the origins of life, and astronomers’ insights into the origins of the universe from a scientific point of view. Visitors will know what it was like to go on an ancient canoe voyage charting their course by the stars, and learn of the 13 observatories on Maunakea charting new courses of discovery today. Visitors also traverse the universe in four dimensions in the Subaru Observatory sponsored 4D2U Theater, a presentation from the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan and play astronomer at a real console from Gemini Observatory. The solar system and astronaut-like views from space are presented on the NOAA-sponsored Science on a Sphere in the Moanahoku Earl and Doris Bakken Hall. All exhibits are in both English and Hawaiian, reflecting the Center’s strong commitment to Hawaiian language and culture. A life-size re-creation of a local Hawaiian language immersion school brings visitors into a close encounter with the movement to restore the Hawaiian language to normalcy. Weekend feature dramatizations and presentations bring to life Hawaiian legends and cultural understanding, from a Hawaiian perspective.

ʻImiloa, a place of gathering, inspiration and connection, has a 16-meter domed planetarium featuring a signature destination film, Maunakea: Between Earth and Sky. In 2008, the Planetarium installed new equipment making it the world’s first full dome planetarium with true 3D stereoscopic capability. In 2009 ʻImiloa debuted the first of a new series, “Hawaiʻi’s Observatories: Update from Maunakea” which takes viewers into the observatories in 3D. Other planetarium experiences are offered, including monthly live star shows featuring astronomers from Maunakea observatories, as well as Friday evening music and entertainment programming

The innovative landscaping around the Center features over 50 endemic, indigenous and “canoe” plants brought to the islands by the early Polynesian explorers with tours offered on a pre-arranged basis. ʻImiloa Astronomy Center of Hawaiʻi is a vital new bridge connecting Hawaiian culture and science with the journey of today's explorers, the astronomers on Maunakea. See www.imiloahawaii.org for more information. ʻImiloa Astronomy Center offers internship opportunities to UH Hilo students and works closely with the UH Hilo College of Hawaiian Language and the Department of Physics and Astronomy, as well as with the observatories on Maunakea. ʻImiloa also has a museum gift store, and its Sky Garden Restaurant offers a menu featuring fresh, local, and flavorful menu items starting with breakfast at 7 am through 4 pm and dinner Thursday through Sunday nights.

Ahu kupanaha iā Hawaiʻi ʻimi loa!
The Hawaiian value of pursuing new knowledge brings bountiful rewards