University of Hawaiʻi President Emeritus David Lassner and his team—including Vice President for Information Technology Garret Yoshimi and Director for Network Infrastructure Chris Zane—have been awarded the Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in California . The award recognizes more than 35 years of visionary leadership in connecting Hawaiʻi and the broader Pacific to the global research community.

Transforming science, education

Since establishing the first international internet connection to Australia via Hawaiʻi in 1989, the 糖心Vlog官方 team has fundamentally transformed global science and education. Their efforts in securing high-capacity networking for the premier astronomical observatories on Maunakea and Haleakal膩 have supported over $1 billion in scientific investment. The data transmitted through these connections contributed directly to two Nobel Prizes in Physics, including discoveries regarding the accelerating expansion of the universe and supermassive black holes.

Beyond these technical milestones, the 糖心Vlog官方 team鈥檚 work is deeply rooted in a commitment to Pacific Island communities. By expanding ultra-high bandwidth networks, they have ensured that remote islands on the front lines of climate change have equal access to vital global research resources.

“The University of Hawaiʻi‘s geographic position in the middle of the Pacific is only part of the story; what truly makes today’s Pacific Wave (a high-capacity network) connectivity possible is the people,” said Jonah Keough, managing director of Pacific Wave. “David, Garret and Chris understand that networks are built on relationships as much as fiber.”

Connecting through fiber, light

Lassner has compared this modern digital connectivity to traditional Polynesian wayfinding. Having sailed aboard 贬艒办奴濒别ʻ补鈥檚 Worldwide Voyage, Lassner noted that just as navigators connected Pacific peoples using stars, 糖心Vlog官方 is connecting them through fiber and light.

“To me, that’s what the World Wide Voyage and m膩lama honua (to care for our Earth) stand for鈥攕ustainability, Indigenous-serving education, research and our service to the community,” Lassner said. “It’s an incredible opportunity to do exactly what the University of Hawaiʻi is supposed to be doing.”

The award will be formally presented at CENIC鈥檚 “The Right Connection” conference in Monterey, California, March 31鈥揂pril 1, 2026.

This week鈥檚 糖心Vlog官方 News Image of the Week is from 糖心Vlog官方 Maui College faculty member Trenton Niemi.

Niemi shared: “Professor Paul Thornton of 糖心Vlog官方 Maui College appreciating astronomy at the top of Haleakal膩”

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Researchers at the University of Hawaiʻi (IfA) are helping reshape how scientists study the Sun. The 糖心Vlog官方-led team has developed a new artificial intelligence (AI) tool that can map the Sun鈥檚 magnetic field in three dimensions with unprecedented accuracy, supporting research tied to the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) built and managed by the NSF National Solar Observatory (NSO) on Haleakal膩. The team鈥檚 findings were published in the .

“The Sun is the strongest space weather source that can affect everyday life here on Earth, especially now that we rely so much on technology,” said Kai Yang, an IfA postdoctoral researcher who led the work. “The Sun鈥檚 magnetic field drives explosive events like solar flares and coronal mass ejections. This new technique helps us understand what triggers these events and strengthens space weather forecasts, giving us earlier warnings to protect the systems we use every day.”

The Sun鈥檚 magnetic field controls eruptions that can disrupt satellites, power systems and communications on Earth. However, the field is tough to measure, making it difficult to create accurate maps. Instruments can show the way the field tilts, but not whether it points toward us or away from us, like looking at a rope from the side and not knowing which end is closer. Another problem is height. When scientists look at the Sun, they see several layers at the same time, so it鈥檚 difficult to tell how high each magnetic structure actually is. Sunspots make this even trickier because their strong magnetic fields bend the surface downward, creating a dip.

AI-powered insights

IfA researchers partnered with the National Solar Observatory and the High Altitude Observatory of the NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research to build a new machine-learning system that blends real data with the basic laws of physics. Their algorithm, the Haleakal膩 Disambiguation Decoder, relies on a simple rule: magnetic fields form loops and don鈥檛 start or end. From there, the AI can figure out the true direction of the field and estimate the correct height of each layer.

The method has worked well on detailed computer models of the Sun, including calm areas, bright active regions and sunspots. Its accuracy is especially helpful for making sense of the high-resolution images from the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope.

“With this new machine-learning tool, the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope can help scientists build a more accurate 3D map of the Sun鈥檚 magnetic field,” said Yang. “It also reveals related features, like vector electric currents in the solar atmosphere that were previously very hard to measure. Together, this gives us a clearer picture of what drives powerful solar eruptions.”

Clearer Sun insights

With these advances, researchers can see the Sun鈥檚 magnetic landscape more accurately and improve predictions of the solar activity that impacts life on Earth.

Severe budget cuts proposed by the Trump administration to NASA and the National Science Foundation (NSF) are raising major concerns within Hawaiʻi鈥檚 astronomy community. Aside from the potential loss of federal funding for the Thirty Meter Telescope, funding reductions could also have wide-ranging implications for the University of Hawaiʻi鈥檚 (IfA), its research and its students. IfA is a globally renowned research center and home to one of the world鈥檚 largest university-based astronomy programs, with observatories on Maunakea and Haleakal膩 that have helped make some of the most remarkable cosmic discoveries ranging from exoplanets to distant galactic phenomena.

糖心Vlog官方 News sat down with IfA Director Doug Simons to discuss how the proposed cuts may affect Hawaiʻi鈥檚 standing in the global astronomy community.

What鈥檚 at stake moving forward?

Simons: The proposed fiscal year 2026 budgets at NASA and NSF have been cut severely and pretty much uniformly. Almost half of the Science Mission Directorate鈥檚 budget at NASA has been cut, and a comparable 50% or so has been cut at NSF. So for astronomy here in Hawaiʻi, there are a number of facilities that are directly impacted, including 17% cut from the W.M. Keck Observatory on Maunakea and 39% cut in the U.S. portion of the Gemini International observatory. We’re also looking at the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) no longer being funded through the construction queue at NSF as part of this whole process.

What impact could these cuts have on grad students and research efforts at IfA?

Simons: Yes, a large fraction of our graduate program is sponsored by NASA and NSF, so our education program is definitely put at risk by these proposed cuts. The related threat of reduced numbers of observatories means that our research program at IfA is also at risk. It鈥檚 important to realize that a large fraction of observing time at IfA goes to our graduate students and programs involving undergraduates, giving them unique research opportunities compared to most other astronomy graduate programs. So again, I have a lot of concern near and long term about the impacts of these cuts to our research and education program, and associated knock-on effects.

What would the cuts mean for the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST) on Haleakal膩, and its role in training 糖心Vlog官方 astronomy students?

Simons: I’m very concerned about DKIST. They also have a proposed 40% cut, and that’s a brand new, $350+ million state-of-the-art solar telescope, the best ever built, that鈥檚 just out of the “starting blocks.” I honestly don’t know what problem is solved by massive cuts to a brand new observatory like DKIST.

Would you say Hawaiʻi is a global leader in astronomy?

Simons: Hawaiʻi astronomy is number one in the world in terms of science output, and that is absolutely at risk with deep cuts proposed in the NASA and NSF programs. Much of the U.S. northern hemisphere ground based astronomy program is in Hawaiʻi, so those cuts go right to the core of U.S. astronomy research. There are also proposed cuts in Federal research facilities in Chile, so the net effect, if we do not turn this around, will be widespread and lasting. It takes a long time to design, build, fund and operate these observatories and a large part of 21st century astronomy leadership will likely go to Europe/Asia, where budgets for astronomy research remain supportive.

If these cuts move forward, what impact could it have on Hawaiʻi鈥檚 economy, considering astronomy provides local jobs and brings in significant funding?

Simons: The latest (2019) estimate is astronomy provides about $220 million of economic impact statewide, with about half of that on Hawaiʻi Island. Nearly 600 people are employed by the Maunakea Observatories, making Maunakea astronomy one of the largest providers of good-paying STEM jobs on the island. The combined operating budgets for the Maunakea Observatories is $70 million – $80 million annually, with most of those funds being directly injected into the local economy through the salaries of observatory staff. More than $2 million is invested annually by the Maunakea Observatories in education and outreach programs across Hawaiʻi Island. Over a hundred companies help support Hawaiʻi observatories, diversifying economic benefits across a wide range of contractors and professionals. The total number of people directly employed by astronomy is closer to 1,000 including Maui and Oʻahu, where similar economic “multipliers” occur.

糖心Vlog官方-operated telescopes in partnership with NASA play a leading role in spotting potentially dangerous asteroids. What does the funding picture currently look like for 糖心Vlog官方鈥檚 planetary defense work?

Simons: I was relieved to see that NASA retained its planetary defense program as a high priority. For IfA, that secures the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF) on Maunakea, PanSTARRS, which includes a pair of telescopes on Haleakal膩, and ATLAS. There are now five ATLAS telescopes worldwide, which basically serve as the last stand, if you will, for detecting potential earth impactors. That’s a total of eight telescopes IfA owns/operates that could have been lost had NASA decided that the planetary defense program was not a priority. I’m pleased to say that amongst everything else going on, that survived.

How do you feel about the direction these proposed cuts are taking, especially given your decades of experience in Hawaiʻi astronomy?

Simons: It is extremely disappointing, particularly because I’ve watched the evolution of Hawaiʻi astronomy throughout most of my career, and the net effect of these recent decisions, which again are completely self-inflicted, is to diminish our ability to answer some of the most fundamental questions in science. It doesn’t have to be that way. We are decisions away from being able to stop this, but if we don’t, we’re looking at widespread damage to long-standing investments of broad state, national and international benefit.

A team at the University of Hawaiʻi鈥檚 Institute for Astronomy (IfA) has uncovered a dazzling new kind of cosmic explosion, more energetic than anything seen before. The team named these rare events “extreme nuclear transients” (ENTs), which occur when massive stars—at least three times the mass of our Sun—are shredded by supermassive black holes. The team’s findings were recently published in .

“We鈥檝e observed stars getting ripped apart as tidal disruption events for over a decade, but these ENTs are different beasts, reaching brightnesses nearly 10 times greater than what we typically see,” said Jason Hinkle, who led the study as the final piece of his doctoral research at IfA. “Not only are ENTs far brighter than normal tidal disruption events, but they remain luminous for years, far surpassing the energy output of even the brightest known supernova explosions.”

ENTs are millions of times rarer than supernovae. But their extreme brightness means they can be seen even in extremely distant galaxies, giving scientists a new way to study black holes in the early universe.

Discovery through data

One of the ENTs studied in this work, named Gaia18cdj, released 25 times more energy than the most powerful supernova on record. In just one year, it radiated energy equal to the lifetime output of 100 Suns. Most supernovae, in comparison, produce only one Sun鈥檚 lifetime output over a similar timescale.

Hinkle first spotted the strange flares while combing through publicly available data from the Gaia space telescope. Unlike more common cosmic explosions that fade over several weeks, ENTs glow steadily for years.

“Gaia observations don鈥檛 tell you what a transient is, just that something changed in how bright it appears to us,” said Hinkle. “But when I saw these smooth, long-lived flares from the centers of distant galaxies, I knew we were looking at something unusual.”

Rare cosmic events

Hinkle used years of observations from 糖心Vlog官方鈥檚 Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System with telescopes on Haleakal膩 and Mauna Loa, the W. M. Keck Observatory on Maunakea, and other telescopes on and orbiting the Earth to characterize these events. Researchers confirmed these weren鈥檛 supernovae or normal black hole activity. Instead, ENTs appear to be caused by a smoother, more drawn-out process, stars multiple times as massive as our Sun being slowly consumed by black holes.

“ENTs provide a valuable new tool for studying massive black holes in distant galaxies,” said Benjamin Shappee, an associate professor at IfA who co-authored the study. “Because they’re so bright, we can see them across vast cosmic distances—and in astronomy, looking far away means looking back in time. By observing these prolonged flares, we gain insights into black hole growth when the universe was half its current age and galaxies were busy places鈥攆orming stars and feeding their supermassive black holes 10 times more vigorously than they do today.”

More ENTs

Astronomers hope to spot many more ENTs, with each offering a glimpse into the powerful forces shaping galaxies across cosmic time. Future observatories such as the Vera C. Rubin Observatory and 狈础厂础鈥檚 Roman Space Telescope could uncover many more of these spectacular events, revolutionizing our understanding of black hole activity in the distant, early universe.

“These ENTs don鈥檛 just mark the dramatic end of a massive star鈥檚 life. They illuminate the processes responsible for growing the largest black holes in the universe,” said Hinkle.

A University of Hawaiʻi-operated telescope has discovered a fairly large asteroid that may impact the Earth. The historic asteroid, 2024 YR4, was first detected by 糖心Vlog官方鈥檚 (ATLAS) in December 2024 as it flew past the Earth. Estimated to be the size of a 20-story building, the asteroid is currently 27 million miles away and returns to Earth鈥檚 vicinity every 4 years. While it is expected to safely pass Earth in 2028, scientists warn that a collision in December 2032 remains a possibility.

狈础厂础鈥檚 estimates a 1% chance that asteroid 2024 YR4 could collide with Earth in 2032, based on current observations. Throughout the coming months, astronomers will closely monitor the 180-foot (55-meter)-wide object to refine its orbit and improve predictions of its future trajectory. No asteroid of this size has ever reached a 1% impact probability in the past two decades of near-Earth object tracking, making 2024 YR4 a rare and closely watched case.

While the odds of impact remain low, history has shown that even small asteroids can cause significant destruction. In 2013, a 65-foot (20-meter) asteroid exploded over Russia, unleashing a shock wave that shattered windows in 7,200 buildings across six cities. More than a century earlier, in 1908, an asteroid roughly the size of 2024 YR4 detonated over Tunguska, Siberia, flattening trees across nearly 1,000 square miles. Though scientists estimate a 99% chance that 2024 YR4 will safely miss Earth in 2032, its potential for impact—especially over populated areas—has drawn the close attention of the planetary defense community.

“Tiny asteroids do hit the Earth all the time, disintegrating in the atmosphere as fireballs; fortunately small ones cause little damage on the ground,” said Larry Denneau, an astronomer at 糖心Vlog官方 (IfA) and co-principal investigator at ATLAS. “Larger asteroids can cause much more damage, but they impact the Earth much less frequently. There are still many large ones out there that we haven鈥檛 found yet, which is why we are continuously monitoring the whole sky to ensure that we stay ahead of potential threats.”

Hawaiʻi telescopes monitoring

Observatories on Maunakea and Haleakal膩 are actively tracking 2024 YR4 to refine its trajectory. In 2022, 糖心Vlog官方 was instrumental in helping track 狈础厂础鈥檚 Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) target asteroid system, the first successful asteroid deflection mission, proving that with enough time, an asteroid鈥檚 path can be altered to protect Earth.

• Related 糖心Vlog官方 News story: 糖心Vlog官方 astronomers capture historic NASA spacecraft, asteroid collisions, September 27, 2022

鈥�&濒诲辩耻辞;Hawaiʻi鈥檚 telescopes are some of the most important tools for planetary defense,” said Doug Simons, director at IfA. “Thanks to our prime location and advanced technology, we can spot, track, and study asteroids with incredible accuracy. That gives scientists the time they need to evaluate potential threats and figure out the best ways to respond.”

Planetary defense

糖心Vlog官方 IfA plays a central role in planetary defense, operating some of the world鈥檚 most advanced asteroid-tracking telescopes. ATLAS, funded by NASA, is a four-telescope system located in Hawaiʻi, atop Haleakal膩 and Maunaloa, Chile and South Africa. It specializes in detecting asteroids on very close approaches to Earth, discovering hundreds of near-Earth objects (NEOs) each year.

IfA also operates the or Pan-STARRS on Haleakal膩, the world’s leading NEO discovery telescope, which is equipped to detect potentially dangerous asteroids while they are still far from Earth. As scientists continue to assess the risk posed by this asteroid, Pan-STARRS remains actively engaged in tracking its movements and refining its projected trajectory. Each year, the ground-based telescope response system on Maui tracks more than half of the near-Earth objects larger than 140 meters detected globally.

On Maunakea, two 糖心Vlog官方-operated telescopes are also serving as key components of 狈础厂础鈥檚 planetary defense system in monitoring 2024 YR4. The or IRTF, a 3.2-meter NASA-funded observatory, specializes in studying near-Earth objects NEOs to evaluate potential impact risks. Meanwhile, the 糖心Vlog官方88 telescope aids in forecasting the future trajectories of these space bodies.

The search for NEOs is funded by 狈础厂础鈥檚 through its .

A group of astronomers using three telescopes in Hawaiʻi have discovered a small, very old star system orbiting around our galaxy. The star system, named Ursa Major III/ UNIONS 1 or UMa3/U1, is incredibly faint and has the least mass of any Milky Way satellite ever found. It might also be one of the most dark matter-dominated systems known.

UMa3/U1 is made up of about 60 stars, all more than 10 billion years old, held together by their own gravity, and possibly even by dark matter. The team of researchers leading the study used the and (CFHT) on Maunakea and the University of Hawaiʻi (IfA) or Pan-STARRS on Haleakal膩.

“This important discovery of the darkest dwarf galaxy was only possible with Pan-STARRS鈥� ongoing effort to systematically survey the sky over and over again,” said Ken Chambers, IfA astronomer and principal investigator of Pan-STARRS. “We do this primarily to find potentially hazardous near Earth asteroids, but we also use the data to build up an ever deeper image of the universe and by combining this data with the other participating UNIONS (Ultraviolet Near Infrared Optical Northern Survey) surveys, we enable many kinds of discoveries from the solar system to the edge of the visible universe.”

Findings were published in by astronomers from the University of Victoria and Yale University.

Celestial mystery

Located in the Ursa Major constellation, UMa3/U1 is about 30,000 light-years from the Sun. It weighs about 16 times more than the Sun, however it’s still much lighter than the smallest known suspected dwarf galaxy. Scientists first found the star system using data from the UNIONS survey conducted by Pan-STARRS and CFHT.

For a more detailed analysis, they turned to the Keck Observatory’s Deep Imaging Multi-Object Spectrograph, confirming UMa3/U1 is a tightly bound system, either a dwarf galaxy or a star cluster.

Further observations are required to determine if this star system is dominated by dark matter, which would support a key prediction in the leading theory of the universe’s origin. This theory suggests that during the formation of galaxies like the Milky Way, they attracted hundreds of satellite star systems through gravitational pull, which continue to orbit galaxies to this day.

Astronomers from the University of Hawaiʻi (IfA) have uncovered the closest recorded occurrence of a star being torn apart by a supermassive black hole (SMBH). Using the All-Sky Automated Survey for SuperNovae (ASAS-SN) system, on February 22, 2023,the team detected a sudden surge in brightness followed by a rapid dimming in the galaxy NGC 3799, located about 160 million light-years from Earth.

“While black holes destroying stars have been seen before, this is the first one we have seen this close using visible light,” said Willem Hoogendam, an IfA graduate student who co-led the research. “This could give us a much better understanding of how SMBHs grow and collect material around them.”

Follow-up observations were taken with IfA鈥檚 (ATLAS) telescopes on Maunaloa and Haleakal膩, on Maunakea, and other ground- and space-based observatories. Hoogendam, working with fellow IfA grad student Jason Hinkle and faculty advisor Ben Shappee, analyzed these data to determine that the burst of brightness was caused by a Tidal Disruption Event (TDE). TDEs happen when a star gets too close to a SMBH and is torn apart by its strong gravitational force, with the black hole devouring the star’s mass. Research findings will be published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

“This discovery suggests that black holes ripping stars apart nearby could be more common than previously thought—we just haven鈥檛 witnessed it happening frequently,” said Hoogendam.

Rare find

The intense brightness produced by the star鈥檚 mass feeding the black hole creates a luminous flare, which all-sky surveys like ASAS-SN can observe. While such events have been detected far away from Earth, finding one relatively close by is rare. ASASSN-23bd, as the event is known, is a remarkable nearby TDE, making it an excellent subject for further study.

The astronomers found that ASASSN-23bd was unlike many other TDEs they had observed before:

• It emitted much less energy than previous TDEs
• It was the closest TDE discovered using visible light
• Its change in brightness happened about twice as fast as most TDEs
• ASASSN-23bd is in a unique category of objects known as low luminosity and Fast TDEs
• luminosity and Fast TDEs

The offers college students an opportunity to gain paid summer work experience at an observatory, company or science/technical facility on Hawaiʻi Island, Maui or University of California, Santa Cruz while earning course credit at . The internship program is led by the Institute for Scientist and Engineer Educators (ISEE) at University of California Observatories, in partnership with the University of Hawaiʻi.

As a part of the Akamai Workforce Initiative, the internship program seeks to develop a skilled STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) workforce to meet the needs of Hawaiʻi鈥檚 growing high-tech industry. .

More than 500 college students have participated in the internship program since it launched in 2003. At least 250 alumni now hold careers in science and technology.

“We are committed to provide empowering opportunities through Akamai to our Hawaiʻi students so they are ready for careers within the high-tech sector,” said Doug Simons, executive director at the (IfA). “The state鈥檚 astronomy sector is one economic artery that provides employment for hundreds of local people and is an example of how Hawaiʻi can further diversify its economy through innovation.”

The 8-week internship will run from June 3 to August 10, 2024. Interns will be paid a $4,400 stipend, provided housing (if needed), and travel support to their internship sites.

The Akamai Workforce Initiative is led by ISEE at the University of California Observatories in partnership with 糖心Vlog官方 IfA and 糖心Vlog官方 Hilo.

Internship provides STEM work experience

Upon acceptance into the program, Akamai interns are carefully matched with a project and a mentor within their field, who will supervise the intern throughout the summer. All Akamai interns complete a one-week intensive preparatory course at 糖心Vlog官方 Hilo, where they gain the skills needed to be successful in the workplace and meet other interns along with Akamai staff and mentors. Mentors help interns gain work experience and build a network that will help launch their STEM careers. The interns are coached on communication skills, and will present their projects at the end of summer at a public symposium.

Local students get local STEM jobs

Since its inception in 2003, more than 500 college students have participated in the Akamai Internship Program and at least 125 alumni are working in Hawaiʻi and contributing to the local STEM workforce. Akamai accepts college students from Hawaiʻi (80% graduated from a Hawaiʻi high school or were born in Hawaiʻi), and a key objective is to increase the participation of underrepresented and underserved populations in STEM. Akamai Workforce Initiative alumni are 37% women, 23% Native Hawaiian and 47% underrepresented minorities.

“I participated in Akamai in the Summer of 2015 after my junior year at 糖心Vlog官方 M膩noa. Having the internship at the Canada-France-Hawaiʻi Telescope (CFHT) provided key skills and knowledge that led to my position at Pearl Harbor upon graduation,” said Raycen Wong, mechanical engineer at CFHT. “I鈥檓 from Hilo and having a position in my field on Hawaiʻi Island, in particular at CFHT, became a longterm career goal due to the experiences I had as an Akamai intern.”

Placements at telescopes and tech companies

Interns in recent years have been placed at many Hawaiʻi Island firms including Big Island Abalone Farm, Canada-France-Hawaiʻi Telescope, Cyanotech, Hawaiʻi Electric Light Company, Gemini North Observatory, Liquid Robotics, Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaiʻi Authority, Smithsonian Submillimeter Array, Academia Sinica Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Subaru Telescope, IfA and W. M. Keck Observatory.

Maui placements include Air Force Research Laboratory, Boeing, Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, HNu Photonics, KBR, Maui High Performance Computing Center, Pacific Disaster Center, Privateer Space and IfA.

Placements are also available at University of California Observatories on the campus of UC Santa Cruz, and the Laboratory for Adaptive Optics and astronomical instrumentation projects.

Mentoring to ensure student success

The Akamai Program is a community partnership that offers an exceptional mentoring experience for students. Each year more than 50 engineers and scientists from telescopes and tech companies generate ideas for intern projects that will make a real contribution to their work and will provide a challenging educational experience for the intern. Many mentors participate in the Akamai Mentor Workshop, where they plan how to provide an experience that will help launch interns into a successful career in STEM.

“As a previous intern, I can truly speak to the pivotal experience that the Akamai Internship Program provided for me,” said Heather Kaluna, an associate professor of who now manages the internship program at Akamai. “I am happy to be able to give back and support similar experiences for other Hawaiʻi-based students.”

Akamai Funders

This year the Akamai Internship Program is funded by Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Air Force Office of Scientific Research, National Science Foundation (through the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, Gemini Observatory, Event Horizon Telescope, Slicer Combined with Array of Lenslets for Exoplanet Spectroscopy).

For more information go to the website.

Observing billions of galaxies across more than a third of the sky and building a 3D map of the universe are all part of the Euclid mission that the European Space Agency launched with its Euclid satellite from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Euclid鈥檚 dataset is getting a big helping hand from observations taken at three observatories in Hawaiʻi.

The Euclid satellite mission will spend more than six years in space and involve more than 2,000 scientists, including astronomers in Hawaiʻi. Unlike the James Webb Space Telescope, which observes a tiny portion of the universe in great detail, Euclid will survey a large portion of the sky, to see a massive section of the universe.

Prior to Euclid鈥檚 launch, the work of creating the map began in Hawaiʻi through the project, an ambitious imaging survey of the northern sky in the optical and near-infrared conducted by three Hawaiʻi-based telescopes since 2017: the Canada-France-Hawaiʻi Telescope (CFHT), Japan鈥檚 Subaru Telescope on Maunakea, and the University of Hawaiʻi (IfA) Pan-STARRS telescope on Haleakalā, Maui.

UNIONS is co-led by Jean-Charles Cuillandre of CEA Saclay/Universit茅 Paris-Saclay, along with Ken Chambers at IfA, Alan McConnachie at Dominion Astrophysical Observatory (DAO) in Canada, Oguri Masamune at Chiba University in Japan, and Mike Hudson at the University of Waterloo in Canada.

“The superb observing conditions in Hawaiʻi led to the unprecedented collection of galaxies over a very large area of the sky with each telescope playing a critical role by adding different filters or colors to the Euclid data,” said Cuillandre, a former CFHT staff astronomer. “While a critical part of the original motivation to obtain the UNIONS data was the Euclid mission, the data will have an impact extending far beyond the space mission.”

The IfA team is especially interested in using this data to measure the parameters that characterize the properties of the universe.

“The Euclid mission will provide a next generation measurement of these characteristics, and we may discover we have made a mistake or series of small mistakes along the way, or we may find that dark energy is more complicated than in Einstein’s formulation,” said Chambers. “Or there might be something else, some new aspect of the universe that we are presently unaware of.”

Hawaiʻi adds color

By observing more than one-third of the observable sky outside the Milky Way, Euclid will image billions of targets out to a distance of 10 billion light years. Astronomers estimate the distances to these galaxies—and thus convert 2D images to a 3D map of the universe—using their observed brightness in different color filters. The more filters are used, the better the distance estimate. But Euclid has only four filters—one that spans most of what we see as visible light, and three that cover infrared wavelengths, beyond what our eyes can see.

The Hawaiʻi telescopes will add observations in five visible-light filters, spanning the rainbow from the violet to far-red. In other words, the three Hawaiʻi telescopes turn the black and white 2D images from Euclid into a full color, 3D map of the universe. Because Euclid is mapping such a huge swath of sky, and ground-based telescopes have different capabilities, multiple observatories have to contribute to provide all the data.

“The idea for one filter from space and additional filters from ground-based telescopes was the Euclid plan from the beginning. Subaru observations add far-red and green, Pan-STARRS has been observing the sky for years searching for asteroids allowing a depth of red data, and CFHT adds blue, enhancing the one filter images that Euclid will produce,” said Professor Satoshi Miyazaki, director of Subaru Telescope. “UNIONS is a consortium of telescopes in Hawaiʻi, extending broader than just Euclid. UNIONS scientists are also sharing data to conduct research collaborations based on Hawaiʻi.”

Gravitational lensing

“Ultimately, data from the Hawaiʻi telescopes—CFHT, Subaru, and Pan-STARRS—will turn the images into a three-dimensional map of our Universe.”

Dark matter does not emit light like the more familiar planets, stars and galaxies. However, dark matter has gravity and can be detected by observing large clusters of galaxies. In some cases, the immense gravity of a galaxy or cluster of galaxies can bend light from an object behind it, known as gravitational lensing. Ground-based observations will assist astronomers working on the Euclid gravitational lensing project.

“I have worked on the Euclid mission for 12 years and it is very satisfying to see the mission launch,” said Jean-Gabriel Cuby, CFHT executive director and Euclid board member. “Much like with the James Webb Space Telescope, Euclid will surprise us and lead to insights we do not fully anticipate. Insights enabled by the efforts of the teams at CFHT, Subaru and Pan-STARRS.”

The first images from the Euclid mission are expected in around two months. Euclid will build up a large archive of unique data, unprecedented by volume for a space-based mission, enabling research over all disciplines in astronomy. The data will be archived at the Canadian Astronomy Data Center (CADC) and accessible to astronomers around the world. CADC will also provide color information based on the observations from the Hawaiʻi based telescopes.

“The Euclid images will be beautiful to look at, above and beyond the considerable scientific value of the data. I’m looking forward to seeing them,” said Stephen Gwyn, science data specialist at the Canadian Astronomy Data Centre. “Ultimately, data from the Hawaiʻi telescopes—CFHT, Subaru, and Pan-STARRS—will turn the images into a three-dimensional map of our Universe.”

This week鈥檚 糖心Vlog官方 News Image of the Week is from the physiology instructor Trenton Niemi.

Niemi shared: This image was taken at Hosmer’s Grove at the base of Haleakal膩 National Park.

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President David Lassner provided an update on enrollment for the campuses in the spring semester. He also provided updates on information regarding the chemical spills on Maunakea and Haleakal膩 and testimony and information provided during the current state legislative session in his monthly report on February 16 at the Board of Regents meeting at 糖心Vlog官方 Maui College.

Lassner also discussed extramural funding, early college enrollment and the 糖心Vlog官方 M膩noa athletics director search.

• Update on faculty classification review ()
• Spring 2023 enrollment increased at 糖心Vlog官方 M膩noa (+0.5%), 糖心Vlog官方 West Oʻahu (+1.3%), Hawaiʻi CC (+3.1%), Honolulu CC (+3.8%) and Windward CC (+2.9%) ()
• Leeward CC has more than 1,100 Early College students, Pacific Islander enrollment up 14.7% ()
• Extramural funding $355 million at this point this academic year ()
• Independent assessment of 糖心Vlog官方 M膩noa Athletics expected to be done at the end of February ()
• Kumukahi graves not on 糖心Vlog官方 property, but 糖心Vlog官方 is working with ancestors on a burial treatment plan ()
• 糖心Vlog官方 M膩noa Athletics Director search launched, Provost Michael Bruno and Susan Eichor of aio will lead the search advisory committee ()
• Spill investigations on Haleakal膩 and Maunakea ()
• 176 testimonies submitted to the Legislature so far and with 16 individual information requests totaling 4,900 pages of responses ()

See previous president’s reports to the Board of Regents.

NASA鈥檚 successful planetary defense test that sent the 1,260-pound DART spacecraft colliding into an asteroid on September 26 demonstrated the significant role Hawai驶i astronomers and telescopes have in protecting Earth from a potential catastrophic asteroid impact.

The space agency鈥檚 historic mission centered on navigating a spacecraft into the small “moonlet” of asteroid Didymos, called Dimorphos, to alter the moonlet’s orbit around its parent asteroid鈥攁 strategy that could be used to change the path of a possibly much larger asteroid on a collision course with Earth in the future. According to NASA, the test was a success, shortening the moonlet’s 12-hour orbit around Didymos by about 32 minutes, a change much larger than scientists projected.

The same telescopes and astronomers that are part of the planetary defense system that detect Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) and Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs) were able to help confirm the success of the NASA test.

Related: 糖心Vlog官方 astronomers capture historic NASA spacecraft, asteroid collision, September 27, 2022

“Our programs to search the skies constantly for hazard asteroids left ATLAS well-positioned to monitor the DART impact from the ground as it happened. Our telescope that we just installed in South Africa performed flawlessly, and the visuals of the dust plume right after the impact were spectacular and beyond expectations,” said University of Hawai鈥檌 Astronomer Larry Denneau, a co-principal investigator at the 糖心Vlog官方-operated or ATLAS.

The 糖心Vlog官方 (IfAs) operates the NASA-funded ATLAS, and (Pan-STARRS) which are at the forefront of the world’s efforts to discover NEOs and PHAs. IfAs astronomers have been instrumental in tracking down the most dangerous NEOs, defined by NASA as those with diameters greater than 140 meters across (459 feet). While searching for these large, dangerous asteroids, IfAs researchers are also working to locate asteroids smaller in size that could pose a major threat to Earth.

“Of the dangerous 140-meter asteroids, there are tens of thousands that we haven鈥檛 found yet. But we are monitoring the skies every night so that we can build up the catalog and keep track of them in the future,” said Denneau.

ATLAS鈥� state-of-the-art asteroid alert system is a four-telescope system located in the northern hemisphere atop Haleakal膩 and Maunaloa and in the southern hemisphere at Sutherland Observing Station in South Africa and El Sauce Observatory in Chile. Pan-STARRS atop Haleakal膩 currently finds nearly as many NEOs and PHAs as the rest of the world鈥檚 observatories combined. ATLAS and Pan-STARRS complement each other in capability鈥擜TLAS specializes in finding asteroids on very close approaches to the Earth, while Pan-STARRS can find dangerous asteroids when they are farther away, possibly years before they approach the Earth.

On Maunakea, the (CFHTs) also plays a critical role by regularly conducting follow-up observations of potential asteroid candidates discovered by Pan-STARRS. Using CFHTs鈥檚 MegaCam, observations help to determine the object鈥檚 orbit, critical to determining if the object poses a threat to Earth.

Denneau added how the experiment further demonstrates how essential it is for astronomers to continue to track objects that can potentially threaten our planet. “The earlier you can know that an asteroid will collide with the Earth, the more options you have, and the less you have to deflect it.”

Future

Throughout the next couple of months, IfAs astronomers will work with students to study the moonlet Dimorphos鈥� orbit around Didymos using the 糖心Vlog官方88 telescope on Maunakea and Faulkes North telescope on Haleakal膩, which is one of a number of observatories part of the Las Cumbres telescope network.

Astronomers from the University of Hawaiʻi (IfA) captured a historic moment of impact on Monday, September 27 as NASA sent a 1,260-pound box-shaped spacecraft head-on into a non-threatening asteroid during a planetary defense exercise. NASA鈥檚 Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) confirmed the space agency can successfully navigate a spacecraft to intentionally collide with and deflect an asteroid from its current path.

Related: 糖心Vlog官方 astronomers to track impact of spacecraft, asteroid collision, September 26, 2022

IfA operates the NASA-funded or ATLAS, which captured images taken every 40 seconds from the time of impact and shows the plume of dust blown off of the asteroid by the impacting DART spacecraft.

The state-of-the-art asteroid alert system is a four telescope system located in the northern hemisphere atop Haleakal膩 and Maunaloa and in the southern hemisphere in South Africa and Chile. ATLAS鈥� telescope in South Africa compiled images of Monday鈥檚 planetary defense technology demonstration.

“The ATLAS telescope system was well positioned to observe the impact from Earth, and we were fortunate to have excellent weather at the ATLAS telescope at Sutherland, South Africa,” said IfA Astronomer Larry Denneau, an ATLAS co-principal investigator.

“Our robotic operation and automatic data processing were able to produce measurements minutes after each observation, giving scientists immediate feedback about the observable effects of the impact.”

Asteroid impact early warning system

The ATLAS system can provide one day鈥檚 warning for a 20-meter diameter asteroid, capable of city-level destruction. Since larger asteroids can be detected further away, ATLAS can provide up to three weeks鈥� warning for a 100-meter asteroid, capable of wide regional devastation.

• Related: Just Look Up: Expanded 糖心Vlog官方 asteroid tracking system can monitor entire sky, January 27, 2022

“The DART mission struck the little moon of Didymos named Dimorphos hard enough to reduce its orbital period from 12 hours by about 5 minutes. Therefore the eclipses we can observe from Earth will occur earlier and earlier, and after a week or two we will have a very good measurement of how much Dimorphos recoiled after being struck by DART,” said John Tonry, IfA professor and ATLAS principal investigator. “Given this new information, it will be possible to plan a mission to divert a dangerous asteroid: how early must it be struck, how massive must the spacecraft be, how fast must it be traveling.”

Observations on Maunakea

More images of the headline-topping impact were captured atop Maunakea at the . IfA Astronomer Richard Wainscoat and University of Western Ontario astronomer Robert Weryk obtained images of the dust plume using the world-class optical telescope about 13 hours after the DART spacecraft impacted Dimorphos.

“The extent and structure of the dust plume surprised me,” said Weryk. “I was expecting it to be on a much smaller scale.”

Throughout the next couple of months, IfA astronomers will work with students to study Dimorphos鈥� orbit using the 糖心Vlog官方88 telescope on Maunakea and Faulkes North telescope on Haleakal膩, which is one of a number of observatories part of the Las Cumbres telescope network.

NASA is preparing to crash a spacecraft the size of a school bus into an asteroid to assess if a deliberate impact can deflect objects on a collision course with Earth. The University of Hawaiʻi (IfA) is playing an important role in the space agency鈥檚 first full-scale planetary defense test, dubbed Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), scheduled for Monday, September 26 at 1:14 p.m. Hawaiʻi time.

The spacecraft will collide head on with Dimorphos, a small asteroid that poses no threat to Earth. Following the impact, 糖心Vlog官方 astronomers will use the 糖心Vlog官方88 telescope on Maunakea and Faulkes North telescope on Haleakal膩, one of a number of observatories part of the Las Cumbres telescope network that the astronomers will utilize around the world, to collect data and determine how Dimorphos was impacted.

“The earth has been hit by big asteroids in the past, and with all likelihood will be hit by something big again,” said J.D. Armstrong, director and IfA Maui outreach astronomer. “When we find one coming our way, we want to know what to do. We want to know how to change the path of the asteroid so that it will not hit us. It could be that important.”

Armstrong and fellow IfA Astronomer Dave Tholen will also work with students throughout the next couple of months to track Dimorphos鈥� orbit using photometric observations.

If the impact changes the asteroid鈥檚 velocity it will prove the planetary defense method can be effective in pushing a potentially hazardous asteroid away from Earth.

Educational opportunities

The spacecraft is projected to hit Dimorphos in the opposite direction to the asteroid鈥檚 motion. Tholen will mentor 糖心Vlog官方 M膩noa undergraduate student Vernon Roark, an major who will obtain orbital shift observations as part of his senior research project. HI-STAR high school students Wilson Chau, Holden Suzuki and James Ancheta will work alongside Armstrong on Maui to also closely track the asteroid鈥檚 orbit.

Hawaiʻi astronomy serves critical planetary defense role

糖心Vlog官方鈥檚 Pan-STARRS1 telescope on Haleakal膩 is the world leader in finding larger Near-Earth Objects that could pose a threat to the planet. IfA astronomers who operate the observatory on Maui play a fundamental role in the nation鈥檚 planetary defense program. In 2017, during routine operations, Pan-STARRS discovered the mysterious interstellar object, ʻOumuamua, the very first of its kind spotted in the solar system.

• Related 糖心Vlog官方 News story: Asteroid discovered by 糖心Vlog官方 telescope will make close pass Monday, July 24, 2020

After Pan-STARRS identifies an object that might be passing very close, telescopes on Maunakea and elsewhere around the world will stop what they are working on and track the object to determine if it is a possible threat to Earth.

The search for NEOs is funded by NASA鈥檚 through its .

Scientists and educators from across the islands made an in-person return to the popular AstroDay event held at Prince K奴hi艒 Plaza in Hilo on May 14, a first in more than 2 years.

The annual event sponsored by the Maunakea Observatories and coordinated by the University of Hawaiʻi (IfA) brought together more than 70 volunteers representing 20 organizations on Hawaiʻi Island, Maui and Oʻahu to present science and technology activities and demonstrations to hundreds of keiki and adults.

“The volunteers and the public alike were talking about how great it was to be back,” said Carolyn Kaichi, IfA outreach and education specialist and coordinator of AstroDay. “In 2020, AstroDay activities were entirely virtual on YouTube, and in 2021, we had a hybrid version where we prepared kits of information and had the mall merchants giving them away. Being back in person to interact on location is so much more rewarding and fun!”

Event highlights included make-and-take planets, black hole demos, ultraviolet camera fun, solar viewing and many more astronomy related activities. Participants engaged in games and giveaways put on by the 糖心Vlog官方 Hilo , observatories from Maunakea and Haleakal膩, Hawaiʻi Space Flight Laboratory, National Weather Service, Hawaiian Electric and the Pacific Tsunami Center.

Robots from the Hilo High Viking Robotics team and the Hawaii Science and Technology Museum were among some of the most popular attractions.

AstroDay also celebrates the Maunakea Coin Contest, a design competition open to all Hawaiʻi Island students grades K–12. The purpose of the contest is to give students a chance to artistically portray astronomy in Hawaiʻi. Winners from an array of categories are recognized in a ceremony, and the grand prize winner鈥檚 design is printed on a commemorative coin which is handed out at the event.

AstroDay is celebrated in the spring in Hilo around International Astronomy Day, a world-wide event that honors all facets of astronomy. In the fall, AstroDay is also celebrated in Kona.

A new era of solar science commenced when the National Science Foundation鈥檚 (NSF鈥檚) (Inouye Solar Telescope) on Haleakal膩 conducted its first science observations on February 24鈥攖he start of a year-long operations commissioning phase. The telescope is by far the world鈥檚 most powerful solar telescope, and stands atop Maui鈥檚 majestic 10,000-foot summit.

Favorable atmospheric conditions atop the summit make this the best site, as proven by the National Solar Observatory (NSO) and the University of Hawaiʻi (IfA) during a worldwide survey.

“We are proud to bring the world鈥檚 largest and most powerful solar telescope online,” said NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan. “The NSF鈥檚 Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope is a modern technological marvel, named in honor of late Senator Inouye, an American hero and leader dedicated to scientific research and discovery.”

Hailed as the “crowning achievement” for ground-based solar astronomy, the Inouye Solar Telescope utilizes the next generation of solar observing instruments capable of capturing images of the sun in unprecedented detail. The telescope鈥檚 operational phase is a long-awaited accomplishment, after an 18-month delay caused by the COVID-19 global pandemic.

The Inouye Solar Telescope will take high-resolution images and make measurements of the magnetic fields of solar phenomena including sunspots, solar flares and coronal mass ejections. Solar activity drives space weather that can impact Earth by disrupting power grids, communication networks and other technologies.

Peering into the Sun

IfA scientists Jeffrey Kuhn and Haosheng Lin constructed two complex infrared instruments for the state-of-the-art facility that will allow scientists to predict the Sun鈥檚 magnetic activity and solar storms. The first is called the Cryogenic Near-Infrared Spectropolarimeter. The nearly 2-ton instrument is designed to measure the Sun鈥檚 magnetism beyond the visible solar disk. Its early observations confirmed a two-decades-long anticipated infrared solar feature that opens new windows for coronal magnetism measurements.

The second, called the Diffraction-Limited Near-IR Spectropolarimeter (DL-NIRSP), enables researchers to view the evolution of the Sun鈥檚 magnetic fields in extreme detail. The instruments are poised to help solve some of the most enigmatic mysteries of the Sun.

“Building the DL-NIRSP has been the most challenging project in my career, and it would not have been possible without the hard work of all the members of the instrument team, including scientists and engineers from both 糖心Vlog官方 and NSO,” said Lin. “We were excited to see the first science verification data during the commission phase of the project, and we cannot wait to see it start the regular science observations in the coming months.”

• Related 糖心Vlog官方 News story: Never-before-seen images of Sun released from world鈥檚 largest solar telescope, January 29, 2020

In 2020, the Inouye Solar Telescope鈥檚 “First Light” campaign previewed the powerful optical systems by producing the highest resolution image of the solar surface ever taken, followed six months later by the clearest image ever taken of a sunspot.

The facility combines numerous state-of-the-art systems including a 4-meter primary mirror, adaptive optics to correct for the effects of the atmosphere, active cooling of all telescope optics, and advanced optical and infrared instrumentations. The suite of instruments is capable of many feats, ranging from capturing images of features on the Sun three times smaller than any previously recorded to facilitating regular measurements of the solar corona鈥檚 magnetic fields for the first time.

For more information go to the .

This research is an example of 糖心Vlog官方 M膩noa鈥檚 goal of (PDF), one of four goals identified in the (PDF), updated in December 2020.

Ongoing research into the potential for finding alien life has acquired a powerful boost atop the summit of Haleakal膩. The SETI Institute recently completed the installation of two LaserSETI instruments on the rooftops of an existing building on Haleakal膩, which will widen the field-of-view for astronomers, enabling them to monitor a larger encompassing area of the sky. The University of Hawaiʻi (IfA) operates and oversees observatories atop Maui鈥檚 famed mauna, including some of the world鈥檚 leading astronomical research facilities.

“The possibility that life exists elsewhere is exciting for the public, especially with the reports of biologically interesting molecules in the atmosphere of Venus, the selection of two Venus missions by NASA, the Mars Perseverance rover mission, and the upcoming Europa Clipper mission to explore Jupiter’s moon,” said IfA Professor Karen Meech. “糖心Vlog官方 has had a long involvement in astrobiology to explore the possibility of life elsewhere—both through research related to formation of habitable worlds, discovery of exoplanets, and the development of new innovative mirror and telescope technology to detect planets. It is exciting to add a new direction to this investigation by searching for technological signatures.”

The instruments are part of SETI鈥檚 groundbreaking astronomy program, LaserSETI, designed to detect potential laser pulses originating from outside the solar system. Each LaserSETI device consists of two identical cameras rotated 90 degrees to one another along the viewing axis. They work by using a transmission grating to split light sources up into spectra, then read the camera out more than a thousand times per second.

This summer, the SETI Institute began installations at Haleakal膩. Observations are activated and data collection is underway. The devices were ready in September 2020 however delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic prevented LaserSETI staff from being onsite. The SETI Institute has credited IfA astronomers and engineers for critical assistance throughout the setup process.

Expanding hunt for potential life

The first two LaserSETI instruments were installed at the Robert Ferguson Observatory in Sonoma, California. On Maui, the new cameras will be aimed east, while the California devices are aimed west. The two observatories will provide simultaneous coverage of the sky over the Pacific, which is particularly important to demonstrating a potential signal鈥檚 origin isn鈥檛 merely a laser altimeter from a satellite or airplane passing overhead.

“LaserSETI is attempting a big step forward in searching for technosignatures, that is, evidence of life originating beyond Earth,” said Eliot Gillum, principal investigator for LaserSETI. “It鈥檚 the first project in either optical or radio astronomy designed to cover the entire sky.”

Traditionally, optical SETI projects have relied on photomultiplier tubes to detect laser flashes, essentially making them one-pixel cameras and enabling only a small part of the sky to be observed. LaserSETI uses two cameras with commercial lenses that image approximately 75 degrees of the sky. While stars will produce a complete spectrum from blue to red, a laser will only show up at its characteristic wavelength. Because the devices are wide-angle, it’s possible to cover the entire night sky with a relatively small number of them, thereby keeping costs down.

Damage resulting from shipping prevented the instruments from becoming operational in August, when they were installed. Repairs were made in September by IfA staff and October by the SETI Institute to bring them online. In 2022, LaserSETI will replace two of the four cameras on Haleakal膩 to bring the system to full functionality.

Earth has captured a tiny object from its orbit about the Sun and will keep it as a temporary satellite for a few months before it escapes. But the object is not an asteroid; it’s likely an upper stage booster rocket that helped lift NASA‘s ill-fated Surveyor 2 spacecraft toward the Moon in 1966.

University of Hawaiʻi鈥檚 telescope atop Haleakal膩 spotted the object in September 2020. Astronomers at the NASA-funded survey telescope noticed it had an unusual motion—it followed a slightly curved path in the sky, which is a signature of it being nearby, with the curvature caused by the rotation of the observer around Earth鈥檚 axis as Earth spins. Initially assumed to be a regular space rock orbiting the Sun, it was given an asteroid-like designation: 2020 SO.

“We were pleased to discover this object via its slightly curved motion, even though it was of artificial origin,” said Astronomer Richard Wainscoat, who leads Near-Earth Object observations at Pan-STARRS. “We hope this technique will lead to further interesting discoveries of nearby objects, especially asteroids that might be temporarily captured into Earth’s orbit.”

But scientists at the at NASA‘s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California saw the object’s orbit and suspected it was anything but a normal asteroid.

Most asteroids’ orbits are elongated and tilted relative to ours. But 2020 SO was moving slowly and following a nearly circular orbit around the Sun, closely matching that of Earth’s. In addition, the object’s orbital plane almost exactly matched that of our planet—highly unusual for a typical asteroid.

As astronomers at Pan-STARRS and around the world made additional observations of 2020 SO, the data also started to reveal the degree to which the Sun’s radiation was influencing 2020 SO‘s trajectory—an indication that it may not be an asteroid at all but a suspected rocket booster.

Space Age artifact

The lunar lander was launched toward the Moon on Sept. 20, 1966, on an Atlas-Centaur rocket. The mission was designed to reconnoiter the lunar surface ahead of the Apollo missions that led to the first crewed lunar landing in 1969. Shortly after lift-off, Surveyor 2 separated from its Centaur upper stage booster rocket as intended. But it lost control a day after launch when one of its thrusters failed to ignite, throwing the spacecraft into a spin. The spacecraft crashed into the Moon just southeast of Copernicus crater on September 23, 1966. The discarded Centaur upper stage rocket, meanwhile, sailed past the Moon and disappeared into an unknown orbit about the Sun.

Now, in 2020, the Centaur appears to have returned to Earth for a brief visit. Before it leaves, it will make two large loops around our planet, with its closest approach on December 1. During this period, astronomers will get a closer look and confirm if 2020 SO is indeed an artifact from the early Space Age.

A team of astronomers at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (IfA) has produced the world鈥檚 largest three-dimensional astronomical imaging catalog of stars, galaxies and quasars. The team used data from 鲍贬鈥檚 Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System or Pan-STARRS1 (PS1) on Haleakalā. The PS1 3π survey is the world鈥檚 largest deep multi-color optical survey, spanning three-quarters of the sky. IfA astronomers applied novel computational tools to the catalog, to decipher which of the 3 billion objects are stars, galaxies or quasars. For the galaxies, the software also derived estimates of their distances.

The resulting 3D catalog was made possible through a National Science Foundation award and is now available as a . It is approximately 300 GB in size, and science users can query the catalog through the MAST CasJobs SQL interface, or download the entire collection as a computer-readable table.

Creating a 3D catalog

Astronomers took publicly-available spectroscopic measurements that provide definitive object classifications and distances, and fed them to an artificial intelligence algorithm. The AI process was key in helping the team figure out how to accurately determine the same properties from various measures of the colors and sizes of the objects. This AI or Machine Learning approach with a “feedforward neural network” achieved an overall classification accuracy of 98.1% for galaxies, 97.8% for stars and 96.6% for quasars. Galaxy distance estimates are accurate to almost 3%.

Lead study author Robert Beck, a former cosmology postdoctoral fellow at IfA, described the process. “Utilizing a state-of-the-art optimization algorithm, we leveraged the spectroscopic training set of almost 4 million light sources to teach the neural network to predict source types and galaxy distances, while at the same time correcting for light extinction by dust in the Milky Way.”

Previously, the largest map of the universe was created by the (SDSS), which covers only one-third of the sky. The new catalog doubles the area surveyed, has greater statistics and contains specific areas the SDSS missed.

IfA astronomer and co-author on the study, István Szapudi, noted that “already, a preliminary version of this catalog, covering a much smaller area, facilitated the discovery of the largest void in the universe, the possible cause of the Cold Spot. The new, more accurate, and larger photometric redshift catalog will be the starting point for many future discoveries.”

“This beautiful map of the universe provides one example of how the power of the Pan-STARRS big data set can be multiplied with artificial intelligence techniques and complementary observations,” explained Pan-STARRS Director and IfA Associate Astronomer, Ken Chambers. “As Pan-STARRS collects more and more data, we will use machine learning to extract even more information about near-Earth objects, our Solar System, our Galaxy and our Universe.”