A star party, Big Island style, isn't likely to include big-name celebrities, but it does offer a huge night sky filled with thousands and thousands of stars, galaxies, nebulas and planets for your viewing pleasure.
Mauna Kea, standing nearly 14,000 feet above sea level, is one of five major mountains on the Island of Hawaii. It is also the home to the greatest concentration of telescopes in the world. The "Star Party" is a regular feature of the Onizuka Center for International Astronomy Visitor Information Station (VIS), located at the 9,300-foot level of Mauna Kea.
The stargazing program is held every evening from 6 to 10 p.m. and begins with an astronomy video followed by a discussion focused on astronomy and Mauna Kea. Then the program moves outside where state-of-the-art telescopes are your passports to the stars.
There are private tour operators who conduct escorted tours to the summit for sunsets and stargazing. These companies provide transportation as well as narration of the geology and history of the area, arctic-style clothing, food and warm beverages.
The access road to Mauna Kea begins at the 28-mile marker on the Saddle Road (across from the hunter's check-in station) and leads north to the summit. Weather is conducive to stargazing 80 percent of the time.
