#Haleakala

Haleakalā National Park celebrates the 2023 Solar Festival from Thursday, March 16 through Saturday, March 18. The public is invited to visit the “House of the Sun” to explore methods of daytime astronomy and learn about our closest star.

Excavation for cleanup of the Haleakalā fuel spill site began March 2, 2023, at the Maui Space Surveillance Complex following approval of a work plan. The Pacific Air Forces reports the excavation was delayed due to inclement weather at the summit.

A contract has been secured to excavate the contaminated soil around a generator at the summit of Haleakalā where an estimated 700 gallons of diesel fuel spilled at the Maui Space Surveillance Complex late last month. A Pentagon official flew in to Maui on Wednesday, apologizing for the incident, and expressing embarrassment by the fact that it occurred. Full story by Wendy Osher at mauinow.com.

The forecast calls for northeast winds of 20-35 mph with localized gusts of up to 50 mph on Kauaʻi, Niʻihau, windward Oʻahu, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi, Maui and portions of Hawaiʻi Island. The advisory remains in effect through Friday evening.

Some of the state’s most at-risk youth from Hawai‛i Girls Court spent three days and two nights in Haleakalā National Park as part of an immersive outdoor experience.

For a list of upcoming events, concerts, shows and entertainment for Oct. 6-12, find our comprehensive listing here.

The University of Hawaiʻi is a major contributor to protecting Earth from asteroids big and small with several telescopes and programs on Maui.

A team of researchers from the University of Hawaiʻi and Eötvös Loránd University in Hungary has produced a massive new catalog of high-fidelity distance estimates to more than 350 million galaxies, revealing in detail the soap-bubble structure of the universe. 

Ironman triathlete Lori McCarney of Honolulu is cycling up to the 10,023-foot summit of Haleakalā today as par of “The Longest Day” event to support the Alzheimer’s Association.

This program ensures that 90% of the proceeds generated by the license plate purchases will be dedicated back to Haleakalā National Park to provide funding for critical projects in conservation and education.

In July 2021, Lōʻihi Seamount was renamed Kamaʻehuakanaloa by the Hawaiʻi Board on Geographic Names.

With both the PS1 and PS2 telescopes operational on Maui, the area of sky surveyed for Near-Earth Objects each night has now doubled.

The University of Hawaiʻi’s Pan-STARRS1 telescope atop Hakeakalā discovered a new comet that may become bright enough for spectators to see with the naked eye as it moves closer to Earth in late April or early May 2022.

The discovery Wednesday of a single rare Kiwikiu bird on Maui, found alive and well after perviously presumed dead for 605 days, is cause for hope among experts working to save the species from extinction.

Hawai‘i conservation and environmental education nonprofit Kupu is seeking applicants for its 11-month paid Conservation Leadership Development Program, which targets recent high school graduates, college graduates and young professionals looking to establish a career in conservation. Priority deadline is June 30, 2021.

Geodetic surveys measure the change in shape of our volcanoes due to changes in magma supply and storage. The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) has a long history of using many different types of instruments and technologies over the decades to detect these changes.

The administration’s request includes $6,125,000 to protect 3,019 acres at Haleakalā National Park on Maui and $150,000 to protect an additional three acres at the Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park on the west side of Hawaiʻi Island.

Astronomers on Haleakalā raced against a brief 60-minute window during the May 26, 2021 total lunar eclipse — when the sky was darkened during a full moon — to search for faint Near-Earth Objects. And, using the University of Hawaiʻi Pan-STARRS telescopes, they pinpointed three to the northwest of the eclipsed moon.

“Tardigrades are famous as one of the most resistant life forms in existence,” says Gon. “They can enter suspended animation in cyst form when their environment dries—and in that form survive incredible conditions such as hard vacuum, radiation, and extremes of temperature—then ‘come back to life’ when placed in water.”

Kiwikiu (Maui parrotbill) is the most endangered native Hawaiian bird. The small yellow honeycreepers live only in high elevation forest on windward Haleakalā, Maui. With an estimated population of less than 150 individuals, it is at high risk of going extinct within a few years.