Viewing craters on the moon, the rings of Saturn and the moons of Jupiter will soon become a common occurrence for WCC students, thanks to the Center for Aerospace Education’s optical telescope in the new Lanihuli Observatory.


The observatory was dedicated Oct. 12, Discoverer’s Day. It is located in the parking lot across from Hale Pālanakila and will be used in classes, as well as community outreach events, to provide the Windward side with a better understanding of what lies beyond our planet.


The Center for Aerospace Education is starting an endowment to ensure its future.


For more information or to make a donation, contact KC Collins, Director of Development, at 235-7460, or via email at KC.Collins@uhf.hawaii.edu.

Observing interstellar clouds and galaxies will be possible using the new optical telescope. It’s covered by a 16-foot rotating dome, completed this past summer, which provides “a screen against wind as well as blocking out surrounding glare from (city) lights,” said Joe Ciotti, WCC astronomy professor.


The optical telescope isn’t the only feature available in the observatory. Visitors can listen to noise bursts from the planet Jupiter and from the sun with a radio telescope. 


A NOAA weather satellite tracking station provides real-time images of Hawai‘i from polar orbiting satellites. Hurricanes and other conditions can be seen, including volcanic activity on the Big Island.


Sunspots are visible using the solar telescope. Last November, visitors observed the rare transit of Mercury across the solar disk.


The Windward side tends to be cloudy, but the optical telescope can still be used through gaps in the clouds. The radio and cosmic ray telescopes, as well as the NOAA weather station, are unaffected.


The observatory will be used by the astronomy and physics classes as well as Hawaii Space Grant, Upward Bound and K-12 students. When weather permits, it will also be open to the public after evening Imaginarium shows. 


The goal for WCC students is to give them hands-on experience with real telescopes while exploring career opportunities in space science. Already, three former WCC students are telescope operators on Mauna Kea.


The community outreach programs “will open children’s eyes and allow them their first look at the heavens through a real telescope,” said Ciotti. “It certainly will be an experience that will never be forgotten.”


The total cost of the observatory was $850,000, with $650,000 going to construction and the rest going to instruments, computers and furniture. 


A long list of private foundations, government agencies and individuals contributed to the project, including the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation, Minami Community Foundation and Hazel Valier.


However, the improvements aren’t over. They still need to build a permanent staircase to the roof for easier access to the solar telescope.


“Currently, we use an aluminum extension ladder, which is precarious and difficult to use when equipment needs to be carried to the roof,” said Ciotti.


With the available features in the observatory, Ciotti said, “While clouds are common on the Windward side, there are occasional nights when the sky is fairly (clear). What a shame it would be to waste all those wonderful evenings.”