In celebration of the International Year of Astronomy and commemorating 400 years of the telescope, the 2009 Maunakea Lecture Series will feature the latest in cosmic discovery presented by the directors of the observatories of Mauna Kea.

You are invited to attend the February Maunakea Lecture titled “Astronomy with Aloha” by Christian Veillet, the executive director of the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT). Dr. Veillet will offer a retrospective look at CFHT’s first 30 years of star gazing atop Maunakea. The presentation will be Saturday, February 21 at ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center’s planetarium in Hilo and Thursday, February 26 at the W. M. Keck Observatory’s Hualalai Learning Theater in Waimea. Both programs are free to the public and begin at 7 pm. Space is limited to first-come, first served.

Dr. Veillet will discuss the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope, which was the first international observatory to have the privilege to make Hawai‘i its home and Maunakea its observing site. It remains the only international observatory on Maunakea in which the State of Hawai‘i is a shareholder and oversees the administration and the funding of its operation, Dr. Veillet said. Being one of the first atop Maunakea, CFHT is older and smaller than its neighboring telescopes, but the observatory has been successful at continuing to make contributions at the forefront of today’s astronomy.

Over the last 400 years, telescopes and techniques have evolved to include instruments that “see” the heavens in many ways. The telescopes on Maunakea each have unique capabilities, and many are world leaders in this legacy of exploration.

The Maunakea 2009 Lecture Series takes place monthly to commemorate the International Year of Astronomy (IYA 2009), a global celebration of astronomy and its contributions to society and culture.

The programs in Hilo take place at the ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center on the third Saturday of each month during 2009. For more information, visit www.imiloahawaii.org/ or call (808) 969-9700 for recorded information, or (808) 969-9703.

The programs in Waimea take place at the W. M. Keck Observatory headquarters in the Hualalai Learning Theater at 65-1120 Mamalahoa Highway. For more information, visit www.keckobservatory.org or call (808) 885-7887.

For a complete schedule of events visit www.keckobservatory.org/calendar.