Galileo telescope replica at block party

October 25, 2009 - Hilo, Hawaii
VIDEO by David Corrigan

The local community joined the observatories at Mauna Kea and `Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawaii at Hilo's "Astronomy Row" to commemorate the International Year of Astronomy 2009.

Parked cars lined Nowelo street for the Galileo Block Party, which featured participation from all the world renown observatories that use telescopes on the summit of Mauna Kea to study the stars, all headquartered at the UHH Science and Technology Park.

"This special, family-oriented event is a mahalo from the observatories to the community for its support," said Inge Heyer, chair of the Mauna Kea Observatories Outreach Committee, the event sponsor, in a press release. "We want to reach out and share our enthusiasm for exploring the wonders of the universe."

“The observatories at Mauna Kea will feature booths and fun activities for adults and keiki to learn about astronomy, and observatory personnel will be there to talk story,” said Kumiko S. Usuda, outreach scientist at Subaru Telescope and lead organizer of the block party, in the same release.

The public had a rare opportunity to tour some of the base facilities of the observatories and check out labs, observation rooms, and exhibits in lobbies. Big Island families had a chance to peek through telescopes, one of them a replica of the telescope used by Galileo Galilei 400 years ago to study the sky, and inspire the science of astronomy.