‘Imiloa Maunakea Skies May Talk on 3D Printing

Luke McKay. Photo courtesy of ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center.

‘Imiloa Astronomy Center’s May Maunakea Skies talk will be held on Friday, May 20 featuring Luke McKay from the Institute for Astronomy.

The 7 p.m. talk will discuss the technological development of 3D printing, which is one of the new technologies making life easier for designers and engineers.

McKay of IfA will show time-lapse videos and present a live demonstration of 3D printing. He will also how the audience in a hands-on comparison items printed in plastic versus those with other computer-aided machining.

During the Talk, McKay will discuss how the UH 2.2m (“88 inch”) telescope and the University of Hawai’i Institute for Astronomy are beginning to implement the use of 3D printing. He will also demonstrate the ongoing efforts to upgrade the 2.2m telescope on Mauna Kea, along with some science results the telescope has helped to produce.

‘Imiloa’s monthly Maunakea Skies program includes observational highlights of the current night sky over Hawai‘i, hosted by Planetarium Technician Emily Peavy.

The audience will view prominent constellations and stars visible during this time of year.

Maunakea Skies planetarium presentations are held on the third Friday of each month.

Tickets are $10 for general admission, $8 for members (member level discounts apply). They can be pre-purchased at ‘Imiloa’s front desk or by calling 932-8901.