Gemini Observatory Explores Makahiki with the Boy Scouts

The rising constellation Makaliʻi (also known as the Pleiades) at sunset marks the beginning of the Hawaiian new year, known as Makahiki. Makahiki is a period of peace, relaxation, and harvest, punctuated with celebrations and ceremony. This approximately four to five month period, aligning with the rainy season, is coming to a close as warmer weather ushers in the spring. Gemini Observatory celebrated the end of Makahiki season with the Boy Scouts of America on April 14th during the Ellison Onizuka Day of Exploration Scout Makahiki at the Edith Kanakaʻole Tennis Stadium in Hilo. The Ellison Onizuka Day of Exploration is a celebration of scouting and an adventure through the wide world of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). The participating troops presented a wide range of STEM activities and workshops, from rocket launches and pinewood derby car races, to making glittery slime.

Public Information and Outreach staff were present at our Gemini Booth, sharing information about the diversity of careers at the observatories, passing out Legacy Images, and teaching about the different aspects of the telescope and the Universe beyond.

A Scout peers through a Galileoscope.

Public Information and Outreach intern Hannah Blomgren demonstrates how mirrors in the telescope can distort light, and how we use this to our advantage through adaptive optics.