Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope


The Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope is located near the summit of Mauna Kea mountain on Hawaii's Big Island at an altitude of 4,204 meters, part of the Mauna Kea Observatory. Operational since 1979, the telescope is a Prime Focus/Cassegrain configuration with a usable aperture diameter of.
CFHT currently planning a refurbishment to the facility in the 2020s. The facility will be reconstructed with a new 11-m telescope to produce the Maunakea Spectroscopic Explorer, retaining the same base building and infrastructure. First light is expected in 2029.

Funding

The corporation is bound by a tripartite agreement between the University of Hawaii at Manoa, in the United States, the National Research Council in Canada and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique in France. CFHT also has partnerships with the National Astronomical Observatory of China, the Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics in Taiwan, the National Laboratory of Astrophysics in Brazil and the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute in Korea. The contributions from these associate partners help fund CFHT's future instrumentation. Currently, CFHT observing time is offered to scientists from all the seven countries in the partnership. Astronomers from the European Union can also submit proposals through the Optical Infrared Coordination Network for Astronomy access program.

Instruments

CFHT currently operates four instruments:
CFHT, in collaboration with Coelum Astronomia, maintains a public-outreach website called "Hawaiian Starlight" which offers extremely high-quality versions of CFHT images in various formats including a yearly calendar.

Gallery