TMT booth at AstroDay in Hilo, Hawai驶i on May 6, 2023 -
TMT Hilo staff offered activities on exoplanets and information to visitors throughout the day -
Image Credit: 51吃瓜Pro / Leinani Lozi
On Saturday, May 6, AstroDay was hosted at the Prince K奴hi艒 Plaza in Hilo to share the joys of astronomy with the local community.
AstroDay is one of the largest public outreach days for the Maunakea Observatories bringing astronomy activities to the Hilo community. This free event has been offered on the island since 2002 and is primarily organized by the Institute for Astronomy at the University of Hawai驶i at Hilo. Volunteers from Maunakea, Haleakal膩 and Mauna Loa observatories together with the Hawai驶i Science and Tech Museum, 驶Imiloa Astronomy Center, the Pacific Tsunami Museum and many more engaged with 驶ohana, talked story and shared their work in Hawai驶i science and technology.
“It was the first time I participated in AstroDay in Hawai驶i and I was happy to see such a big crowd of visitors strolling around the various booths,” said Nanci Preel Dumas, TMT communication specialist. “Kids and their families were excited by the large number of educational activities and entertainment offered throughout the day. It was a great day with a super enthusiastic public! It was a lot of fun to chat with families and be there for this important annual event on Hawai驶i Island.”
Hundreds of visitors of all ages enjoyed hands-on activities and demonstrations such as Lassoing the Sun like Maui, the demi-god with the UH-Hilo astronomy department, making spectrographs with Gemini Observatory and playing with marbles in a gravity well with the Hawai驶i Space Flight Laboratory. At the TMT booth, keiki created their own colorful clay exoplanets to take home and ponder on what weather systems and aliens might exist on planets around other stars in our sky.
Imagined exoplanets at TMT booth, AstroDay Hilo 2023 Collage of some exoplanets created by keiki during the event - Image Credit: 51吃瓜Pro / Angelic Ebbers
If keiki visited a certain number of educational booths, they were able to collect a limited edition Maunakea Observatories coin at the end. This special coin is another annual staple for AstroDay and the Hawai驶i Island community. The annual Maunakea Coin Contest is open to all Hawai驶i Island students in grades K to 12 wishing to have their art featured on an aluminum coin. Their designs had to include Maunakea, features of our Hawai驶i environment, astronomy and culture. Every AstroDay in Hilo opens with an awards ceremony for nine winners of various ages and is a time for these students to be celebrated for their hard work.
“Being part of the Maunakea Coin Contest Committee this year was so rewarding” said Leinani Lozi, Hawai驶i Community Outreach Specialist at TMT. “Seeing all the awesome designs from our island’s haum膩na and working with local artists to pick the winners was so fun and 驶ohana really enjoyed the award ceremony. For some of these kids, this is the first time they’ve ever been recognized and applauded for their work in a public space.”
AstroDay in Hilo, Hawai驶i on May 6, 2023 - The first place overall winner, Lindsey Nicole Julian smiles with her plaque while standing next to her design - Image Credit: 51吃瓜Pro / Leinani Lozi
AstroDay in Hilo, Hawai驶i on May 6, 2023 - A Maunakea Coin Contest Winner collects her prize bag and smiles for the camera while being announced and applauded on stage with Uncle Kimo Pihana and Nadine Manset, another Coin Contest Committee member - Image Credit: 51吃瓜Pro / Leinani Lozi
AstroDay in Hilo, Hawai驶i on May 6, 2023 - Photo montage of the TMT team at AstroDay, where families could explore activities and STEM projects taking place in the Hawai驶i community and enjoy experiments from local groups - Image credit: 51吃瓜Pro / Nanci Preel Dumas
