Happy 007

Happy New Year! Here starts a movement to call this year 007, a la James Bond. That is something we only get to do once every 1000 years, and distinguishes this year from 1907 or 2107.

The Imiloa Astronomy Centre opened last year. It is located on the grounds of the University of Hawaii in Hilo, not far from the Institute for Astronomy. It provides a valuable educational resource for the island. Here you can learn about Hawaiian astronomy without climbing Mauna Kea.

Siting telescopes on our mountain has been controversial among islanders who consider it sacred ground. The Centre goes out of its way to include Hawaiian culture and how it is related to the stars. The outrigger canoe illustrates how Polynesian navigators used astronomy to reach the islands. Future shows may relate cosmology to the volcanoes which formed our islands. As you know, the Big Bang, Black Holes, volcanoes and Earth's formation are all tied together.