Worlds like Tatooine—the iconic twin-sun planet from Star Wars—are no longer confined to science fiction; they have entered the realm of modern astrophysics. These distant worlds, orbiting stars beyond our Sun, are known as exoplanets. At the Subaru Telescope, a powerful instrument called Subaru Coronagraphic Extreme Adaptive Optics (SCExAO) enables the direct imaging of these alien worlds. By combining cutting-edge adaptive optics with coronagraphy, SCExAO suppresses starlight and reveals the faint glow of orbiting exoplanets. This advanced technology helps astronomers investigate the architecture of distant planetary systems and the processes of planet formation.
Join our live online event to discover how astronomers use the Subaru Telescope to directly image these worlds and to experience real-time observations through the Shadow the Scientists (StS) program.
Figure 1: A snapshot of Dr. Garima Singh delivering a laboratory demonstration of the SCExAO instrument during a previous StS session. This talk can be viewed on YouTube. (Credit: Shadow the Scientists)
What You Will Experience in This Event
The first StS session featuring SCExAO at the Subaru Telescope will be held on the night of Thursday, February 26, 2026. Anyone in the world is welcome to register and participate in the live session.
During this open StS session, Dr. Garima Singh, the SCExAO instrument scientist, along with other core members of the SCExAO team, will offer a sneak peek into SCExAO observations of an extrasolar world captured by the Subaru Telescope. While an exoplanet may not be visible in the raw images during this observation, the session will explain the methods behind these observations—similar to those used by the James Webb Space Telescope in space.
In addition to watching world-class astronomical observations, participants will have the opportunity to listen to short talks by astronomers, scientists, and telescope operators, and to ask questions during the event.
Why not join the StS sessions to remotely experience observations with the Subaru Telescope and meet and talk with exoplanet hunters?
Event Details & Registration
Registration form - Link
* Advance registration is required to participate in this Zoom session.
Date & Time:
Thursday, February 26, 8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. (HST; Hawai‘i Standard Time)
Friday, February 27, 6:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m. (UTC; Coordinated Universal Time)
Friday, February 28, 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. (JST; Japan Standard Time)
Friday, February 28, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. (IST; India Standard Time)
Language(s):
The session will be conducted in English; however, given the language capabilities of the speakers, participants are welcome to submit questions and messages in Japanese, Hindi, and French.
Presenters:
From Subaru Telescope Summit Facility
Dr. Garima Singh and Dr. Julien Lozi (Subaru Telescope, NAOJ), and Dr. Sebastien Vievard (University of Hawai‘i at Hilo)
From NAOJ Headquarters, Mitaka, Tokyo, Japan
Dr. Jun Hashimoto (Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Taiwan)
From Subaru Telescope Hilo Base Facility
Dr. Kumiko Usuda-Sato (Subaru Telescope, NAOJ), and Jameeka Marshall (StS Coordinator)
About Shadow the Scientists
Shadow the Scientists (StS) is a program that connects the public to professional scientists in various scientific disciplines, including connections to professional astronomers through observing experiences with world-class telescopes.
This program was launched in 2020 during the COVID pandemic by a researcher at the University of California, Santa Cruz, in collaboration with ‘Ohana Kilo Hoku, a native Hawaiian non-profit organization supporting astronomy and space programs, and other partners. Through the program, researchers invite members of the public to remotely experience observations with the Subaru, Keck, and Gemini North Telescopes near the summit of Maunakea, Hawai‘i, the Lick Observatory in California, and many other telescopes around the world.
Guidelines for Use