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Canada France Hawai'i Telescope

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Canada France Hawai'i Telescope

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CFHT is a joint research facility of NRC (Canada), CNRS (France), and the University of Hawai'i.

The Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope is located near the summit of Mauna Kea mountain on Hawaii's Big Island at an altitude of 4,204 meters (13,793 feet), and is one of the observatories that comprise the Mauna Kea Observatory. Operational since 1979, the telescope is a Prime Focus/Cassegrain configuration with a usable aperture diameter of 3.58 meters. The corporation is bound by a tripartite agreement between the University of Hawaii, the National Research Council (NRC) in Canada and the Conseil National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) in France. CFHT also has partnerships with the National Astronomical Observatories of China (NAOC), the ACADEMIA SINICA Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics (ASIAA) in Taiwan, the Laboratório Nacional de Astrofisica (LNA) in Brazil and the Korean Astronomy Space Science Institute (KASI) in Korea. The contributions from these associate partners help fund CFHT's future instrumentation. Currently, CFHT observing time is offered to scientists from all the seven countries in the partnership. Astronomers from the European Union can also submit proposals through the Optical Infrared Coordination Network for Astronomy (OPTICON) access program.

10/16/2026

More than 2,100 previously unknown galaxies discovered!

An international team of astronomers using the Canada-France-Hawaiʻi Telescope (CFHT) on Maunakea has identified more than 2,100 previously unknown galaxies in the Virgo Cluster, bringing the total number of confirmed galaxies to 3,680! The discovery is part of the Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey (NGVS), which used CFHT's MegaCam to explore our cosmic neighborhood in remarkable detail.

✨ Here in Hawaiʻi, the Virgo constellation is also home to Hikianalia (Spica), a star important to Polynesian wayfinding and navigation across Moananuiākea. From the stars that guide voyagers across the ocean to the galaxies we discover across the universe, the sky continues to inspire exploration and discovery.

Read the full story: https://www.cfht.hawaii.edu/en/news/NGVS-2026Oct/CFHT-NGVS-Press-Release.html

09/16/2026

09/16/2026

Join the Arts & Sciences Center for STEAM-CON, their inaugural signature event! Rescheduled following the March storm, STEAM-CON is a free celebration of our community and the science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics thriving in Puna and across Hawai‘i Island.

📍 ASC (Home of HAAS) Upper Campus - Pāhoa
🗓 September 26 from 2-6pm

STEAM-CON brings together master artists, cultural practitioners, scientists, engineers, inventors, educators, and students for an afternoon of inspiration, connection, and hands-on discovery. Listen to TED Talk-style presentations, tour a fine art gallery, visit a creation station, try experiential installations, and more!

🔗 Learn more about STEAM-CON at hiasc.org/steamcon

09/16/2026

How do we look back toward the cosmic dawn? 🔭✨

CFHT is working alongside Euclid and fellow Hawaiʻi based observatories to help search for some of the earliest objects in the universe and build a richer picture of the deep sky.

This collaboration brings together observations from CFHT, W. M. Keck Observatory, Subaru Telescope, and Pan-STARRS with Euclid’s view from space, combining the strengths of telescopes on the ground and in space.
Read more about the collaboration and CFHT’s role in the latest story from the Maunakea Observatories: https://www.maunakeaobservatories.org/stories/journey-towards-cosmic-dawn

Image 📸: The largest high-resolution photo ever made of our Milky Way galaxy's center in visible light. Original image taken by Euclid, color added by CFHT MegaCam. (Image credit: ESA/Euclid/Euclid Consortium/NASA, CFHT, image processing by J.-C. Cuillandre and E. Bertin (CEA Paris-Saclay))

08/30/2026

For 10+ years now, the Maunakea Observatories have had the great pleasure of joining the County of Hawaiʻi Department of Parks and Recreation's Summer Fun programs to coordinate a variety of educational activities and visits. This year, MKO staff visited 8 different Summer Fun programs and reached over 200 students across the island, sharing the wonders of astronomy with our Hawaiʻi Island keiki!

🌌 The Gemini Observatory Hawaiʻi Education and Engagement Team brought along the digital Hale Hōkū, a portable planetarium. With the Hale Hōkū, students learned about the current night, the Milky Way, and flew through the depths of the Milky Way band to explore Ua ʻŌhia Lani and its story.

Mahalo to the staff of Gemini and Canada France Hawai'i Telescope, and everyone who helped make these visits such a success!

08/30/2026

Canada France Hawaii Telescope and this week's partial lunar eclipse. 🌙

📸: Photo credit - Callie Matulonis (IRTF)

01/22/2026

For the first time since 2020, Astronaut Ellison Onizuka Science Day is back! We invite you to come together to celebrate the incredible legacy of Hawaiʻi's first astronaut, and the first Asian American astronaut, who was born and raised here on Hawaiʻi Island!

On Saturday, January 24 in Hilo, this free community event for all ages will feature a full day of STEM activities, an AMA with an astronaut, hands-on workshops, guest speakers, and food!

🔗 Learn more about Onizuka Science Day at bit.ly/onizuka-day

01/21/2026

Big congrats to Dr. Viraja Khatu (left) and Jessica Nagasako (right) for representing CFHT at last week’s AAS 247 conference in Phoenix, Arizona. Viraja presented on Active Galactic Nuclei Survey Simulation Tools for Large-Scale Variability Survey Designs, contributing to how we plan and understand future time-domain surveys.Jessica shared her work through an oral presentation titled Testing the Detection Limits of Ground-Based Surveys for Red Giant Asteroseismology & Remote Observing with CFHT, and a poster, Reaching for the STARS: Empowering Girls to Pursue STEM in Hawaiʻi, highlighting the importance of access, mentorship, and place-based STEM education.We’re proud to see CFHT science shared on a national stage. Mahalo for representing CFHT so well.

01/21/2026

We’re thrilled to welcome a space legend to our community 👨‍🚀 🚀

Join us for the 21st Ellison Onizuka Science Day on Saturday at University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo and meet one of NASA's most experienced astronauts, Donald R. Pettit—a spaceflight veteran who spent 590 days in orbit! Pettit will lead an AMA workshop and be available to talk story with the public. Don't miss this celebration of space, science, and the legacy of Hawaiʻi's first astronaut, Ellison Onizuka 💫✨ More info ➡ bit.ly/onizuka-day

Special thanks to American Savings Bank for making Pettit's visit possible!

01/14/2026

Last weekend, the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 from California was seen over Maunakea! It was captured by our east-facing CloudCam, as well as by the east-facing Subaru-Asahi StarCam, the companion StarCam to the west-facing CFHT-Asahi StarCam that is mounted at CFHT.

(Can't view on Facebook? Check it out on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWw8jl3Hcx0 )

Address

65-1238 Mamalahoa Highway
Kamuela, HI
96743

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm

Telephone

+18088857944

Website

http://www.cfht.hawaii.edu/

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