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[Video] A camera at the Mauna Kea Observatory in Hawaii has captured an object as it burned up on re-entering Earth's atmosphere on 8 February. The Subaru-Asahi Star Camera, owned by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, recorded a time-lapse of the fireball blazing across the night sky, followed by smaller glowing streaks.

Sorry, Jupiter. Astronomers have discovered 62 new moons orbiting the ringed planet Saturn. The satellite haul brings the planet's total number of moons to over 100 and also means the gas giant takes back the crown as the solar system's "moon king" from Jupiter. Prior to this discovery, Saturn had 83 moons recognized by the International Astronomical Union(opens in new tab), so the new batch brings the total number to an incredible 145. The discovery marks another milestone for Saturn, with the planet becoming the first world in the cosmos known to be orbited by more than 100 moons. The...

[Video] The video triggered fierce backlash online. HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - A Big Island man is publicly apologizing after starting an uproar for posting a video of himself urinating on Mauna Kea. After a torrent of criticism, he told Hawaii News Now he learned a valuable lesson and now wants to work to help educate others. Travis Upright gave permission to share a video he recorded, asking for forgiveness. “I never meant to hurt anyone. I never meant to create so much harm but that’s no excuse. It still happened and I’m sorry,” said Upright. In the six-minute apology video, Upright...

(International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/A. Smith) ============================================================ In a stormy Hawaiian sky in July 2017, streaks of red and blue lightning seemed to meet above a bed of white light. Cameras on the Gemini North telescope at the Gemini Observatory in Mauna Kea snapped a stunning picture of the multi-colored light show. The National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory (NOIRLab) released the photo on Wednesday as its "image of the week". The lightning in the image "appears so otherworldly that it looks like it must be a special effect," NOIRLab said. It also published a zoomable version. These colorful lightning phenomena are aptly...

State conservation enforcement officers are investigating the destruction of four endangered Hawaiian vines in the Mauna Loa Forest Reserve near Puu Huluhulu, the site where protesters have been blocking Mauna Kea Access Road for the last two months. Additionally, officials with the Department of Land and Natural Resources said Thursday there’s evidence other rare plants in the area have been trampled. “Intentional or not, this damage is happening and it’s very concerning,” DLNR Chairwoman Suzanne Case said. “There’s really just no way to have hundreds of people every day, often thousands, in sensitive natural areas like Puu Huluhulu and the...

The Thirty Meter Telescope is being built atop Mauna Kea, Hawaii's tallest mountain Illustration showing the proposed Thirty Meter Telescope on Mauna Kea on Hawaii's Big Island.Thirty Meter Telescope / via AP file HONOLULU -- Construction on a giant telescope will start again next week after lengthy court battles and passionate protests from those who say building it on Hawaii's tallest mountain will desecrate land sacred to some Native Hawaiians. State officials announced Wednesday that the road to the top of Mauna Kea mountain on the Big Island will be closed starting Monday as equipment is delivered. Scientists revere the...

The state of Hawaii on Thursday issued a notice to proceed for construction to start on the $1.4 billion Thirty Meter Telescope project on the Big Island after four “unauthorized structures” were removed from the areas near the telescope’s site on the summit of Mauna Kea. Construction on the long-delayed project could start as early as next month, which would be exactly 10 years after the telescope's international board selected the Hawaii site. The state’s agencies involved will work with TMT officials to determine the start date. The notice gives gives the contractors and workers involved in the construction authorization...

The records include dates and times, Cesario said, which makes them useful to modern-day astronomers. Planet Nine, if it exists, would have about 10 times the mass of Earth and orbit 20 times farther from the sun than Neptune does... Scientists suspect the existence of Planet Nine because it would explain some of the gravitational forces at play in the Kuiper Belt, a stretch of icy bodies beyond Neptune. But no one has been able to detect the planet yet, though astronomers are scanning the skies for it with tools such as the Subaru Telescope on Hawaii's Mauna Kea volcano....

An extremely powerful winter storm is pulling away from Hawaii after unleashing damaging winds, massive waves, coastal flooding and snow in unusual places. The storm, which the National Weather Service office in Honolulu described as “historic,” began pounding the islands Friday. Hawaii News Now reported a 66-year-old California man died in the rough surf off northwest Maui on Friday. Forecasters “are calling this an unprecedented event and we concur that we rarely if ever have seen the combination of record high onshore waves, coupled with gale force winds,” said Sam Lemmo, administrator of Hawaii’s Department of Land and Natural Resources...

At least nine astronomers, students and Office of Maunakea Management staffers had a rare opportunity in early January to lead Bill and Hillary Clinton on a tour of the Maunakea summit. The former U.S. president and former secretary of state were on-island at the time and had requested to visit the mountain. “We received a call from the Honolulu Secret Service asking if it would be possible for the Clintons to come up as civilians,” Maunakea Support Services General Manager Stewart Hunter said. “We felt, as long as it could be arranged and they would not have to limit public...

How do we explain the deep snow in Hawaii to PC Thinkers? Some ideas: All of that global warming which bulled its way into the Arctic (which by now must be as hot as the Sahara) drove the cold air fleeing before it all the way to Hawaii. Hillary supporters all promised each other, "It'll be a Cold Day in Hawaii before Trump is President!!" And it goes without saying they're always right. Mother Nature, having heard the catastrophic news of Trump's Selection, is desperately lashing out in one last Herculean attempt to save life on the planet from being...

Mauna Kea, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - The snowfall has eased up slightly on the summits of Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea on the Big Island, but another foot of snow is still possible Sunday. A Winter Storm Watch is in effect through through Sunday night for elevations above 8,000 feet. The watch replaces the Winter Storm Warning, which was cancelled Saturday morning. Deep tropical moisture which brought heavy snow to the summits and torrential downpours at lower elevations on the island is moving to the north. However, a light dusting of snow is possible Saturday before another storm system moves in...

Scientists involved in Hawaii astronomy are hopeful that builders of a giant telescope planned for a mountain held sacred by Native Hawaiians don't give up on the project. A recent state Supreme Court decision invalidated the $1.4 billion project's permit to build on conservation land, which could delay construction by several years. The nonprofit company building the Thirty Meter Telescope hasn't yet indicated its next move. Protesters say they will continue to fight the telescope. ...

An overnight thunderstorm dropped 1½ to 2 inches of snow on the summit of Hawaii's tallest peak in July. Cameras at Mauna Kea’s summit showed some snow still on the ground midday Friday. Mauna Kea Weather Center forecast meteorologist Ryan Lyman says it should be melting quickly. …

MAUNA KEA, Hawaii —On Wednesday, hundreds of protesters forced construction crews for the Thirty Meter Telescope to come to a halt, but it didn’t come without sacrifice.In total, 12 people were arrested for obstructing the path, but after a six-hour attempt to make it to the top of the summit, TMT crews only reached about a mile and a half up from hale pohaku before turning back. It’s been a long haul for those for and against building what will be one of the world's largest telescopes on land held sacred by many Native Hawaiians, a divided image that has...

Explanation: What if you could stand at the top of a volcano and peer out across the universe? It the timing is right, you might see an amazing panorama like the one featured here. In this case, the volcano is the Hawaii's Mauna Kea, and the time was a clear night last summer In the foreground of this south-facing panorama lies a rugged landscape dotted with rocks and hardy plants. Slightly above and further out, a white blanket of clouds spreads horizontally to the horizon, seemingly dividing heaven and Earth. City lights illuminate the clouds and sky on the far...

Explanation: How can the Moon rise through a mountain? It cannot -- what was photographed here is a moonrise through the shadow of a large volcano. The volcano is Mauna Kea, Hawai'i, USA, a frequent spot for spectacular photographs since it is arguably the premier observing location on planet Earth. The Sun has just set in the opposite direction, behind the camera. Additionally, the Moon has just passed full phase -- were it precisely at full phase it would rise, possibly eclipsed, at the very peak of the shadow. The Moon is actually rising in the triangular shadow cone of...

"Hawaiians absolutely believe in science. How that plays out on this mountain is going to be a matter of getting the right set of people in the room to negotiate some sort of compromise that everyone can live with," Apo told reporters. Stopping construction would be key, he said. "You can't even get to the discussion point until they stop construction," he said. ... The dispute has pitted Native Hawaiians, who believe the telescope site is sacred because it is where their creation story begins, against scientists, who believe it's an ideal location for one of the world's largest telescopes...

The massive Thirty Meter Telescope will be able to image objects 13 billion light years away, near the beginning of time. Set atop Mauna Kea, the Thirty Meter Telescope will be able to observe planets outside our solar system. (Credit: Courtesy TMT Observatory Corporation) If you love eye-popping images of space, here's welcome news: the Hawaiian Board of Land and Natural Resources has backed building what's to be the world's largest, most powerful optical telescope above the clouds atop the volcano Mauna Kea. The Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) will have a primary mirror of 492 segments measuring some 100 feet...

Explanation: Aloha and welcome to a breathtaking skyscape. The dreamlike panoramic view looks out from the 4,200 meter volcanic summit of Mauna Kea, Hawai'i, across a layer of clouds toward a starry night sky and the rising Milky Way. Anchoring the scene on the far left is the dome of the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT), with north star Polaris shining beyond the dome to the right. Farther right, headed by bright star Deneb, the Northern Cross asterism is embedded along the plane of the Milky Way as it peeks above the horizon. Both Northern Cross and brilliant white Vega hang over...