The Joint Astronomy Centre operates two telescopes on Mauna Kea: the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope and the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope.

Latest News

Our funding agency in the UK, the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), have recently announced their science programme for the next 5 years. For the JAC telescopes, this includes:

• a commitment to continue operating the JCMT until at least 2012; and
• a "managed withdrawal" from UKIRT on a timescale to be defined.

Although the public announcement does not explicitly state this, continuation of the JCMT beyond 2012 is envisaged and is contingent, inter alia, on the astronomical performance of the SCUBA-2 instrument.

The UKIRT decision is a profound disappointment for everyone associated with the observatory. We are working with STFC to define the timescale and the implementation details, and we are also looking at alternative modes of operation. We emphasise that no decision has yet been taken to close the facility.

Upcoming Outreach Events on the Big Island with JAC Participation

• 02/13 Hilo District Science Fair at `Imiloa and UHH
• 02/20 Heart Walk in Hilo
• 02/20 Family Focus Event at Prince Kuhio Plaza
• 02/20 JAC/UKIRT hosts Mauna Kea Skies at `Imiloa (see the poster here (PDF, (JPG)
• 02/25-03/05 Journey Through The Universe
• 02/28 Family Science Day at `Imiloa (9am-4pm)
• 03/01 AstroCafe Roundtable and Keiki Astronomy Story Time at Borders Books in Hilo (5-7pm, see the poster here)
• 03/03 Family Science Night at `Imiloa (4pm-8pm)
• 03/10-19 JAC presents outreach results at the "Communicating Astronomy to the Public" conference (Capetown, ZA)
• 04/10 Merrie Monarch Parade
• 04/11-16 JAC presents outreach results at the "National Astronomy Meeting" conference (Glasgow, UK)
• 05/01 AstroDay

Latest Outreach Activities

• Outreach Highlights
• IYA Galileo Block Party
• IYA Galileo Teacher Class
• IYA Directors' Lecture Series
• AstroDay 2009
• IYA Around the World in 80 Telescopes
• Journey Through The Universe 2009
• School Visits
• more...

Latest Press Releases

• Journey Through The Universe in February/March 2010 - Big Island Students and Teachers Explore the Human Presence in Space - 2010-02-02 [other]
• UKIRT Astronomers Discover Cool Stars in Nearby Space - 2010-01-29 [UKIRT]
• Towards an Exquisite Look at Black Holes - 2009-12-08 [UKIRT]
• A Tale of Two Telescopes: Astronomy With Invisible Light - 2009-07-13 [other]
• UKIRT Astronomers Discover Local Star's Cool Companion - 2009-04-20 [UKIRT]
• Glorious Orion: UKIRT Helps Reveal Chaotic and Overcrowded Stellar Nursery - 2009-04-20 [UKIRT]
• Hawai`i's Mauna Kea Observatories to lead off International Astronomy Webcast - 2009-03-31 [other]
• more...

Latest Publications

• JCMT Newsletter
• UKIRT Newsletter
• JAC Annual Report 2008/09 (PDF, 11.2 MB)
• Careers at Astronomical Observatories (2009, PDF, 24.0 MB)
• Spectrum Article (PDF, 28 KB)
• more...

Other News

• See more class room teaching tools on the Teacher Resources Page!
• Try our new AstroQuiz Challenge!
• See the Center of our Milky Way in all its glory, courtesy of the Wide Field Camera of UKIRT (scroll your mouse back and forth to zoom in and out)
• The 2009 Solar Eclipse as seen from the Mauna Kea Visitor Information Station
• Signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between JAC/STFC and CEOU

The International Year of Astronomy 2009

Remember the International Year of Astronomy 2009 with us! Educational and fun astronomy activities took place on the entire Big Island throughout the year, for kids, parents, teachers and families. See the websites below for details, resources, and photos. Mauna Kea Observatories Outreach Committee IYA 2009 Local Plans IYA 2009 Galileo Teacher Class Mauna Kea Observatories Block Party on "Astronomy Row" at A`ohoku Place in Hilo Big Island IYA Events Flyer Cosmic Poster Contest, Images Mauna Kea Brand Astronomy Trading Cards Directors' Lecture Series 100 Hours of Astronomy - Live from Mauna Kea - UKIRT and JCMT Live! Stars Over Mauna Kea 2009 - Hawaii Tribune-Herald Astronomy Supplement