A blue micromoon, visits to telescopes, and decoding comets.
It’s HPR’s recurring feature of sights to see in the beautiful skies above Hawaiʻi, some exciting discoveries made by local astronomers, and free public events for the astronomically curious.
Roy Gal is an astronomer and outreach coordinator at the University of Hawaiʻi Institute for Astronomy. He spoke with HPR for “Hawaiʻi Skies” and shared May’s interesting lunar viewing for the month.
May’s first full moon appeared on May 1, and Gal said that the month will cap off with a blue "micromoon" on May 31.
“This is going to be the smallest appearing full moon of the year,” he said.
“We're going to catch this full moon right when the moon is at its farthest point from Earth, which we call apogee, right around when it's turning full. So we call it a micromoon. And because it's the second full moon in the month, the term for that is a blue moon.”
Gal also shared that a free all-inclusive tour program has reopened for Hawaiʻi residents to visit the telescopes on the summit of Maunakea called The Kamaʻāina Observatory Experience.
"You'll need your Hawaiʻi ID, and it gives you the opportunity to visit the telescopes on the summit of Maunakea and actually go inside and see how they operate," he said. "So you learn about the science, the culture, the environmental importance of the mauna."
KOE tours are open on the first Saturday of each month and are limited to 28 guests.
To learn more about KOE tours, click here.
This story aired on The Conversation on May 11, 2026. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. Hannah Kaʻiulani Coburn adapted this story for the web.
