New Horizons KBO Search-CFHT

Near the summit of Mauna Kea in Hawaii sits the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT), one of several giant telescopes recruited to help find a new destination for NASA's New Horizons spacecraft after its Pluto flyby.

About New Horizons KBO Search-CFHT

CFHT is a 3.58-metre optical and infrared telescope at an altitude of 4,204 metres near the Mauna Kea summit, operated by a consortium representing Canada, France and the University of Hawaiʻi. Starting in 2011, it took part in a coordinated ground-based search campaign to identify Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs) that the New Horizons spacecraft could potentially visit after Pluto.

Telescopes & research

As part of the multi-observatory KBO hunt, CFHT's 3.58-metre mirror and Mauna Kea's exceptionally dark, stable skies helped astronomers pick out faint, distant objects in the outer solar system, contributing to the search that eventually identified New Horizons' next target.

Location & getting there

CFHT sits near the summit of Mauna Kea on the island of Hawaii, one of the best astronomical sites on Earth thanks to its high altitude, dry air and distance from city lights.

Visiting New Horizons KBO Search-CFHT

Mauna Kea's summit observatories, including CFHT, are working research facilities; visitor access is generally limited and altitude can affect visitors, so check official Mauna Kea visitor information and the observatory's own guidance before planning a trip.

See your named star from here

A telescope built to spot faint, distant Kuiper Belt Objects can easily resolve the coordinates of any star in our catalogue. If you've named a star with Star Register, its position from our star catalogue would be well within reach of an instrument like CFHT.