The Window Seat: Stargazing in Paradise: The ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawai'i

You may not be aware of this, but it snows regularly on the Big Island of Hawaii.

Yes, you read that right--at a staggering 13,790 feet, the dormant volcano Mauna Kea (“White Mountain” in the native Hawaiian tongue) dons a sparkling cap of snow in wintertime. (Its counterpart, Mauna Loa, does the same, although snow on the latter is less visible due to its more rounded peak.) Because of Mauna Kea’s unique assets, native Hawaiians have long considered it a sacred site.

Incidentally, the summit of Mauna Kea is also an ideal place for stargazing, given its height and remoteness from major cities. Hence, it now houses several of the world’s leading astronomical observatories. Native Hawaiian groups are displeased with these developments, protesting that the developments defile the sacredness of the site.

Photo courtesy of the 'Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawai'i.

Enter the ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center, a University of Hawaii-backed visitor complex on Mauna Kea. According to Executive Director Peter B. Giles, their mission is “to celebrate Hawaiian culture and … astronomy” and to show “how science and culture can be united to advance knowledge, understanding, and opportunity.”

In other words, the two-year-old ‘Imiloa Center is attempting to reconcile Hawaii’s rich past with its present-day advances--and it seems to be doing a remarkably successful job.

Its more than 100 exhibits, artfully arranged in a 12,000-square-foot gallery, explore the history of stargazing and cosmic thought in Hawaiian culture. One exhibit explains how ancient Hawaiians skillfully used stars to guide their way during long ocean voyages; another compares the Hawaiian account of human origins with the Big Bang theory. ‘Imiloa also features a 3-D stereoscopic planetarium and award-winning landscape of over 50 native and Polynesian-introduced plants. Out of respect for the environment, the entire complex is LEED®-certified as a “green” building.

So far, the local community has received the ‘Imiloa Center with mixed feelings, but the Center maintains that reception is increasingly positive. Either way, ‘Imiloa is a powerful model of contemporary Hawaii in general. After all, the state’s economy being largely based on tourism, the technology of modern travel is increasingly linked with the natural splendor and unique heritage of the Islands.

If you’re heading to Hawaii this summer, a trip up Mauna Kea to the ‘Imaloa Center might heartily inform your understanding of the Islands. After all, you probably didn’t even know about the snow.

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