The Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) has partnered with Japanese media company Asahi Shimbun to provide a 24/7 livestream of Maunakea’s summit via the new CFHT-Asahi StarCam. The high-definition, weather-proof camera system streams breathtaking views of the mountain and surrounding area directly to YouTube, offering the public an immersive experience.
Figure 1: A snapshot of the CFHT-Asahi StarCam just before the sunset. Observatories from left to right: Subaru Telescope, Keck I+II, NASA Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF). James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) and The Submillimeter Array (SMA) are also in the lower left. (Credit: CFHT & Asahi Shimbun in collaboration with Subaru Telescope, NAOJ)
This new CFHT-Asahi StarCam, which started streaming on January 9, 2025, is in addition to the Subaru-Asahi StarCam, which that has been livestreaming from the Subaru Telescope since 2021.
"Last spring, Asahi Shimbun approached us about adding another camera, this time facing West, to give viewers a new perspective of the Mauna," says Cam Wipper, CFHT astronomy technical specialist and UH Hilo alumnus. "This partnership allows us to share the beauty of Maunakea and the magic of the night sky with people worldwide. The live feed lets viewers witness dynamic events like meteor showers and sunsets, which are hard to capture with still images."
The CFHT-Asahi StarCam is strategically positioned to look toward the Western sky, while the existing Subaru-Asahi camera provides a view facing East. This unique setup offers complementary perspectives of the summit, enhancing the public’s experience. Typically, there are about 40 to 200 people watching the live stream at any given moment but can surge into the tens of thousands during meteor showers or other astronomical events.
"We appreciate the partnership with Asahi Shimbun that has allowed us to expand the Asahi StarCam network on Maunakea and bring these incredible views to a global audience," says Dr. Ichi Tanaka, senior staff astronomer at the Subaru Telescope. "Our goal is to build a community that can appreciate the wonder of astronomy, no matter where they are."
Figure 2: Scenes from Maunakea captured by the CFHT-Asahi StarCam. The sky transforms throughout the day. In the early morning photo (bottom right), Maunakea's shadow, illuminated by the rising sun, appears in the lower right corner behind the observatories. A high resolution image is here (0.9 MB). (Credit: CFHT & Asahi Shimbun in collaboration with Subaru Telescope, NAOJ)
The 24/7 livestream is available on the ‘Astro Asahi LIVE’ YouTube channel:
To view the CFHT-Asahi StarCam (facing West), visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qh6Nqiq6LIg&t=0s
To view the Subaru-Asahi StarCam (facing East), visit: https://www.naoj.org/PIO/LiveCam/cam_redirect.html
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