AstroDay 2021 at the Kona Commons on Nov. 14 in Kona, Hawaii - TMT International Observatory staff from Hilo distributed activity kits and information to children and their families throughout the day - Credit: TMT International Observatory
AstroDay 2021 at the Kona Commons on Nov. 14 in Kona, Hawaii - TMT International Observatory staff from Hilo distributed activity kits and information to children and their families throughout the day - Credit: TMT International Observatory
Hilo, HI – Nov. 17, 2021 – TMT was pleased to join the Maunakea Observatories in celebrating AstroDay on November 14, 2021 at Kona Commons Shopping Center in Kona. AstroDay continues to be a leading community outreach program for the observatories. This time around, the AstroDay celebration event was back “in-person,” with its share of free, family-friendly astronomy activities.
Organized by the Maunakea Astronomy Outreach Committee, AstroDay is a unique opportunity to learn about the science and discoveries made by the telescopes on Maunakea and throughout the state of Hawaii.
“It was the first in-person event since the pandemic started, so I was overjoyed to see so many kids and their family members visiting our booth,” said Yuko Kakasu from the TMT-Japan team in Hilo.
“A lot of kids were wearing nice T-shirts with astronomy or STEM themes and I could tell how happy and excited they were.”
TMT provided hands-on activities and kits including supplies and instructions for building bracelets and star ornaments at home. About 300 kits of colored pearls along with beads sensitive to UV light or glowing in the dark were given out.
“This is a simple, yet fun and educational activity for school children to understand UV light and the properties of light,” says Diana Bisel, TMT office administrator. “AstroDay this year was safe and fun for everyone with contactless activities following the Covid safety protocol. Being there in person to interact with the public was wonderful! This is a great annual tradition on Hawaii Island and a great opportunity with which we are happy to be involved.”
TMT booth at the AstroDay at the Kona Commons on Nov. 14 in Kona, Hawaii - Activities and prize giveaways for Keiki and their families included an Astronomy book and a bag of TMT goodies - Credit: TMT International Observatory
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