Reach for the stars: Come learn about astronomy on AstroDay

Kona’s free annual AstroDay is fast approaching.

Set for Nov. 5 at Kona Commons Shopping Center, the event is scheduled to strata 10 a.m. and run till 3 p.m.

Organized by the Mauna Kea Astronomy Outreach Committee, MKAOC, the open-air event is an interactive opportunity for the community to learn about the science of astronomy and the discoveries being made by the telescopes in Hawaii.

The Maunakea Observatories and other science-based and community organizations will offer a variety of informative science exhibitions, demonstrations and activities. Free science kits will be available to take home while supplies last and the UH Institute for Astronomy will have a solar telescope on site to project views of the sun.

Participating in this year’s event are:

• Island observatories: UH Institute for Astronomy (O‘ahu, Hawai‘i Island, Maui), Canada-France-Hawai‘i Telescope, Gemini Observatory, TMT International Observatory, W.M. Keck Observatory, and Subaru Telescope. The Las Cumbres Observatory and Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, both from Maui, will also participate.
• Science Organizations: Hawai‘i Community College’s Natural Sciences Dept. (Pālamanui Campus), The Center for the Study of Active Volcanoes, Hawai‘i Keiki Museum, Hawaii Science & Technology Museum, ʻImiloa Astronomy Center, Hawai‘i Electric Light, Int. Lunar Observatory Assn., National Weather service (NOAA) Mauna Loa, NASA Solar System Ambassadors and Project PANOPTES.