Crowds gathered at Prince Kūhiō Plaza in Hilo on May 3 for AstroDay 2025

Crowds gathered at Prince Kūhiō Plaza in Hilo on May 3 for AstroDay 2025, a free celebration of science, technology and space exploration.

Faculty, staff and students from the University of Hawaiʻi Institute for Astronomy (IfA) were among scientists and scholars presenting everything from hands-on activities, live science shows to robotics at the 23rd annual event hosted by Maunakea Observatories.

More than 30 organizations from across Hawaiʻi came together to share the wonders of science with keiki and their families. Exhibits invited participants to build model comets, create exoplanets and explore the universe through ultraviolet cameras.

“Everyone’s enthusiastic about sharing their science, and a lot of that energy gets transported to the general public, and that’s what we hope the public will come away with,” said IfA education and outreach specialist Carolyn Kaichi.

Seeds of inspiration

For many, the event was more than just fun—it was deeply personal. IfA graduate student Sage Constantinou remembered how AstroDay helped spark his own scientific journey.

“The earlier you can get kids exposed to this sort of thing the longer it has to stew,” Constantinou said. “I used to be a little kid at these events. I grew up here in this town. It’s a big part of why I was able to follow my own path in education and eventually pursue my own research.”

The event celebrated student creativity through the popular Maunakea Coin Contest. Ros Haleyah Mari Asuncion Ganot, an 11th grader at Pāhoa High and Intermediate School, earned first place with her astronomy-inspired design.