On Saturday, August 17, 2024, the Maunakea Astronomy Outreach Committee hosted the Tanabata Block Party on North A`ohoku Place at the University of Hawai`i’s Science and Technology Park in Hilo on the Big Island of Hawai`i. This event marked the second joint open house for the Maunakea Observatories' base facilities since the Galileo Block Party in the International Year of Astronomy 2009. The event celebrated 25 years of astronomical discoveries from the Subaru and Gemini North Telescopes, which both had their first light in 1999.
In the lobby of the Subaru Telescope Base Facility, staff members expressed their appreciation to local participants for their continuous support of astronomy on Maunakea by showcasing the Subaru Telescope’s achievements. People enjoyed seeing the 25th-anniversary commemorative video; the Subaru Telescope 3D virtual tour; and the (nearly) life-size poster of Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC), an ultra wide-field camera mounted at the telescope's prime focus. They also wrote their wishes on colorful Tanzaku strips and hung them on bamboo shoots, which is a Japanese custom at the Tanabata Star Festival.
Figure 1: Local participants enjoyed the Subaru Telescope virtual tour (upper left); the nearly life-size poster of HSC (upper right); the 25th-anniversary video (bottom left); and writing wishes on Tanzaku strips and hanging them on bamboo shoots (bottom right) inside the Base Facility. (Credit: NAOJ)
In the courtyard outside the building, live taiko was performed by Taishoji Taiko and Hilo High Taiko, followed by Bon Dance lessons by Hilo High Japan Club and Hilo Daijingu. Hundreds of community members enjoyed science activities and food at the tents and food trucks along A`ohoku Place. After dark, Hilo High Japan Club students narrated the Japanese Tanabata legend, and stargazing began with amateur telescopes.
Figure 2: (left) Hilo High Japan Club students at the top of the stairs provided Bon Dance lessons to participants. (right) During the stargazing session after dark, people looked through a large amateur telescope handmade by a Subaru Telescope staff member. (Credit: NAOJ)
Tanabata, also known as the Japanese Star Festival, represents a beautiful intersection of astronomy and Japanese culture. Since 2014, Subaru Telescope has collaborated with the local community to host the Tanabata Star Festival. This year, the Tanabata Party offered an excellent opportunity for Subaru Telescope and other observatories to showcase their workplace and who they are. The Subaru Telescope is hugely grateful for the continuous support of the local community and conducts observations to uncover the mysteries of the Universe.
Figure 3: The big "Mahalo" ("Thank you" in the Hawaiian language) poster welcomed participants at the lobby of the Subaru Telescope Base Facility. (Credit: NAOJ)
The Tanabata Block Party is sponsored by the Maunakea Observatories/Maunakea Astronomy Outreach Committee and Waiakea Hawaiian Volcanic Water, including Subaru Telescope, Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab, University of Hawai`i Institute for Astronomy, East Asian Observatory, SubMillimeter Array, Canada France Hawai`i Telescope, and W.M. Keck Observatory. Community partners include Hawai`i Science and Technology Museum, Hawai`i Keiki Museum, PISCES, Center for Maunakea Stewardship, `Imiloa Astronomy Center, Thirty Meter Telescope, Maunakea Visitors Information Station, and University of Hawai`i at Hilo Astrophysics Club.
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