New Horizons KBO Search-Subaru
Image: Wikimedia Commons
The Subaru Telescope, operated by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, brought its exceptionally wide field of view to the search for a new destination for NASA's New Horizons spacecraft.
About New Horizons KBO Search-Subaru
Subaru is an 8.2-metre optical and infrared telescope with the largest field of view of any operating giant telescope, making it well suited to scanning large areas of sky for faint, distant objects. Its Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC), a wide-field camera mounted at prime focus, was the key instrument used in the New Horizons Kuiper Belt Object search that began in May 2020.
Telescopes & research
Subaru's first search campaign, running from May to August 2020 with a follow-up in October, turned up roughly 87 new Kuiper Belt Objects. In 2024, researchers reran the archived data with new AI software that processed it 100 times faster than before and found 67 additional KBOs that human searchers had missed. As of June 2024, however, no suitable target for a New Horizons extended mission had been identified among the Subaru search data.
Location & getting there
The telescope sits near the summit of Mauna Kea on the island of Hawaii, one of the world's premier astronomical sites thanks to its high altitude and clear, stable air.
Visiting New Horizons KBO Search-Subaru
Subaru is a working research observatory operated by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan; public access to the summit facilities is limited, so check official Mauna Kea and Subaru visitor information before planning a trip.
See your named star from here
A telescope with the widest field of view of any giant instrument on Earth can easily locate a single star's coordinates. If you've named a star with Star Register, its position from our star catalogue would be a simple target for an instrument like Subaru.
Opening hours and public-visit programs vary by season. Check Google Maps for current times before you travel.
