Canada France Hawai'i Telescope

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 )

12/18/2025

Christmas Spirit Week continues at CFHT 🎄
Today we’re celebrating Christmas headgear day with festive fun around the office. 🌟 Bonus holiday spirit — our Director of Community Relations missed pajama day yesterday and showed support by rocking pajamas today
(L–R: Kara, Carolyn, Joanne, Jessica, Cam)

12/16/2025

Christmas Spirit Week is officially underway at CFHT!🎄
We kicked things off today with Ugly Sweater Monday. Big smiles, festive vibes, and good company in front of our CFHT Christmas tree.
(L–R: Cam, Kara, Joanne, Carolyn)

12/04/2025

Join us after the Waimea Christmas Parade for our annual Winter Star Party! This Saturday at 7-9pm.

11/13/2025

CFHT has 2 job openings right now! We are looking for a Director of Engineering and a Systems Administrator/Dev Ops Engineer.

Details available on our Current Job Listings page

See current career opportunities that are available at CFHT Corporation

09/07/2025

Aloha! This just in from our J. Watumull Planetarium — Our September Sky Map is out!

If you’re new to our Sky Maps, they show the sky above Hawaiʻi from about 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. local time. You and your ʻohana can try your hand at backyard astronomy! Just hold the Sky Map above your heads to align all four directions and discover which stars and constellations are visible this month.

Kamakaunuiamāui (The Big Fishhook of Māui), also known as Mānaiakalani or Scorpius, rises in the southern skies. As Māui’s fishhook travels across the sky from east to west, it also pulls Pīmoe, the great ulua fish, across the sky.

On your next visit to Hawaiian Hall, visit Māui’s fishhook near the entrance on the first floor.

View our schedule of live shows, access our full Sky Map, and explore more astronomy resources on our Planetarium page: BishopMuseum.org/Planetarium.

08/11/2025

This week we celebrate 46 years since CFHT's first light! I hope you enjoy our first photo taken of the globular cluster Messier 13 and the saga of the night of first light.

07/16/2025

An international research team that includes astronomers from ASIAA has used CFHT's MegaCam wide-field optical imager to trace out the orbit of a new distant object in our Solar System, named Ammonite. Initially discovered using the Subaru Telescope's wide-field prime-focus camera, Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC), Ammonite was subsequently observed over a few nights during July 2024 at CFHT.

Read more: https://www.cfht.hawaii.edu/en/news/AmmoniteJul2025/