CFHT News and Updates

March 22, 2026

By Nadine Manset (Director of Science Operations, on behalf of the CFHT ‘ohana)

Recently

The Scientific Advisory Council (SAC) report from the December 2025 meeting held in Waimea is available online on CFHT’s website (https://www.cfht.hawaii.edu/en/science/SAC/reports/SAC_report_Dec2025.php).

Emmanuel Bertin, former CFHT Resident Astronomer, released a Python-based exposure time calculator (ETC) for MegaCam (and also WIRCam), pyDIET (pydiet.cfht.hawaii.edu). There are functionalities that the current ETC doesn’t have, worth checking out!

Winter weather has posed significant challenges since February, with little improvement expected before the Spring Equinox. The February MegaCam run was severely impacted, and the current run may be lost entirely. Two shorter runs, one for SITELLE and one for WIRCam, also yielded very few observations. A particularly intense storm system brought winds exceeding 110 knots at the summit of Maunakea, along with more than 45 cm of rain over just a few days. These conditions highlight the unique and dynamic environment of Maunakea, where this work takes place.

Maunakea News

The Mauna Kea Stewardship and Oversight Authority (MKSOA) was established in 2022 to “protect Mauna Kea for future generations and manage the lands for the purpose of fostering a mutual stewardship paradigm in which ecology, the environment, natural resources, cultural practices, education, and science are in balance and synergy”. The five-year transition period with the University of Hawaiʻi, which runs from mid-2023 to mid-2028, is now well past its halfway point. Among the many decisions relating to the management of the mountain’s summit area, MKSOA will decide on the future of astronomy on Maunakea in the new lease that will replace the current one, due to expire at the end of 2033.

In preparation for this new lease, MKSOA has engaged in an extensive consultation process with Hawaiʻi’s local communities with the help of a consulting group, Kua o Wākea (https://kuaowakea.org/). Ten meetings (https://kuaowakea.org/workshops/) were held across the Hawaiian Islands from mid-January to mid-February. CFHT actively participated in 9 of these 10 meetings, allowing us to immerse ourselves in the MKSOA process and vision, particularly the Kānāwai (https://kuaowakea.org/kuka-kanawai.mp4), which in Hawaiian tradition and culture refers to the natural processes regulating environmental resources. We urge astronomy staff interested in Maunakea astronomy and using data from Maunakea Observatories to familiarize themselves with the paradigm shift involving MKSOA. Extremely useful resources are, for example, available on the Kua o Wākea Resources page (https://kuaowakea.org/resources/).

Soon

The deadline for Community Survey (CS) proposals is April 30, 2026. We are excited by the ideas and collaborations generated by the Call for Proposals, and look forward to years of observations that will reflect the scientific interests of our communities and deliver high impact and high legacy value for years to come. Additional information on the CS and the Call is available here https://www.cfht.hawaii.edu/en/science/CommunitySurvey/CS-CfP/  For further information or inquiries, please reach out to the CSWG by email cswg-info@cfht.hawaii.edu

Later

In June, we are expecting the arrival of Wenaokeao, an optomechanical interface that will allow installing SPIRou and ESPaDOnS at the Cassegrain focus of the telescope at the same time. Thanks to a beam splitter that will separate the near IR and optical beams without affecting polarization, and relay optics, Wenaokeao will be used to observe with SPIRou only (no intervening optics), or with ESPaDOnS only (using relay optics), or with both SPIRou and ESPaDOnS simultaneously (using the beam splitter). Off-sky and on-sky tests will be performed during semester 2026B and Wenaokeao released for observing for 27A. For more details, please see https://www.cfht.hawaii.edu/en/instruments/VISION/

CFHT staff members will be at CASCA 2026 in Montréal. Given that the 2027 AGM will be virtual, we want to take advantage of all opportunities to interact with all our users. We hope to see you there!