The 'Imiloa Planetarium: An unforgettable journey through time and space.

‘Imiloa’s digital full-dome planetarium system and 5.1 audio surround sound create a spectacular immersive audio-visual experience!  Every presentation includes a live sky lecture featuring the sky as viewed from Maunakea!

Current Show Schedule:

Special Children's Show
The Secret of the Cardboard Rocket Saturday Mornings at 10:00 am from March 17 – June 30

The Secret of the Cardboard Rocket is a special 30-minute children's show.  Two young adventurers, Marcus and Bonnie, turn an old cardboard box into a rocket and, after assembling all their supplies, blast off on an awesome adventure to the most amazing places in the solar system. They visit each planet in turn and learn a little about what makes each planet unique, including landings on Venus and Mars, a trip into the stormy clouds of Jupiter and the thrill of dodging particle swarms in the rings of Saturn.  Along the way, they find out what makes the Earth such a special place to live. At the story’s end, you’ll discover the Secret of the Cardboard Rocket.  Produced with state of the art 3-D animation and a 5.1 soundtrack with spectacular effects created at George Lucas' Skywalker Ranch.

Sponsored by Subaru Telescope and the Japan Foundation for Promotion of Astronomy, this show is included with regular admission or membership. Masa Hayashi, the Director of the Subaru Telescope says, "Subaru is pleased to support ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center, and to sponsor this new planetarium show that is directed at young people. We hope that the program inspires the next generation explorers, astronomers and scientists."

Feature Planetarium Show
Stars of the Pharaohs Tuesdays – Sundays at 1:00pm and 3:00pm from January 16 – April 15

To the ancient Egyptians, the stars were part of the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. They were the realm of the gods who governed the earth and the skies. To honor those gods, powerful Egyptian rulers aligned their magnificent temples and monuments with the stars. Many of their monuments seemed to touch the skies themselves.

Through 'Imiloa's newest planetarium show, Stars of the Pharaohs, you'll travel to ancient Egypt to see how science was used to tell time, make a workable calendar, and align huge buildings. You'll learn about the connection the ancient Egyptians felt with the stars and various astronomical phenomena. And you'll see some of the most spectacular temples and tombs of the ancient world, recreated in their original splendor.

Mahalo to our generous corporate sponsor, HPM Building Supply, for helping us bring Stars of the Pharaohs to 'Imiloa Astronomy Center. HPM Building Supply has been Hawaii's foremost supplier of quality building materials since 1921. Today, HPM is one of Hawaii's largest full-line building materials suppliers serving customers through multiple outlets.

Signature Planetarium Show
Maunakea: Between Earth and Sky Tuesdays – Sundays at 11:00 am and 2:00pm

Maunakea: Between Earth and Sky is our permanent planetarium offering exploring the connections between Hawaiian Culture and Astronomy. Imagine yourself on a Polynesian voyaging canoe, leaning into the wind and following currents that are carrying you to a strange new land. Gaze into the night sky and search for Hokupa`a, your guide star. Then look farther, past planets, galaxies and swirling nebula—and even deeper, back into the beginning of the universe. "Maunakea: Between Earth and Sky" will take you from the beginning of time to the farthest reaches of the heavens.

Monthly Sky Show
The Sky Tonight at 'Imiloa Last Saturday of Each Month at 7:00 pm

The Sky Tonight, is hosted by our Astronomer-in-Residence Dr. Richard Crowe, Planetarium Manager Shawn Laatsch, or Gemini Observatory's Peter Michaud. The program is an in-depth tour of the current night sky, followed by a special presentation by staff members from the Maunakea Observatories.

Cost is $5.00 per person for the general public, and free to members. Reservations are required! Please reserve your seat: Call (808) 969-9711 or send an email to . Include your name, the date of the show you're reserving seats for, your contact information, and the number of people in your party. Whenever the 7:00 pm show is fully booked, we will consider adding a second show at 8:00 pm.

Coming Soon:

One Ocean, One Sky Starting April 17, 2007

On April 17, One Ocean, One Sky will debut in our planetarium. Produced in-house, this presentation begins at sunset with Kalepa Baybayan, a master navigator in the Polynesian Voyaging Society, sharing with us the way the sky is divided into four main Star Ohana’s to aid in navigating the seas. He shows us how these are used by navigators to determine direction and latitude while sailing and guide them on their voyages. The second portion of the program explores the connection between Hawai‘i and Japan and voyaging traditions. Two traditional star stories are shared about the Pleiades and its importance (in Hawai‘i this group is called Makili’i and in Japan it is know as Subaru). Following these stories a short history of voyaging traditions is shared from its earliest beginnings to the current voyage of the Hokule’a to the voyages being made together by Japan and Hawai‘i using the Subaru Observatory on Maunakea.

As we look into the sky, we gaze at the same stars that are seen by people thousands of miles away.  We continue to explore and share one One Ocean, One Sky.

'Imiloa welcomes corporate sponsors for this program. Please contact Shawn Laatsch at 969-9735.

Recognized Staff:

Richard Crowe obtained his BS and MS in astronomy from the University of Western Ontario and his PhD from the University of Toronto. He's worked at several observatories in the US, Canada and Chile, and was the Canadian Resident Astronomer for the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope based in Kamuela. He joined the University of Hawaii-Hilo faculty in 1987. Richard also heads the New Opportunities through Minority Initiatives in Space Science (NOMISS) program, funded by NASA.

Shawn Laatsch has worked in the planetarium and astronomy education field for more than 20 years and has a passionate interest in cultural and historical astronomy. Shawn comes to `Imiloa from East Carolina University, where he taught classes in astronomy and led a school outreach program. Previously, Shawn directed the planetarium at the University of Louisville. He currently serves as an executive officer of the International Planetarium Society. (See www.ips-planetarium.org)

Sky Tonight Presenters:

Peter Michaud is the public information officer for Gemini Observatories on the Big Island. He's the former planetarium producer and manager at the Bishop Planetarium in Honolulu, where he wrote and produced more than 20 planetarium shows. He has also taught astronomy in Virginia high school programs, created many educational programs and curricula, and led eclipse expeditions to Maunakea and Chile.

Some sponsorship comes from Subaru: National Astronomical Observatory of Japan.