On November 19, 2025 (Hawaii Time), a naming ceremony was held at the Subaru Telescope Hilo base facility, where the Prime Focus Spectrograph (PFS) gratefully received its new Hawaiian name: ʻŌnohiʻula which is pronounced like “oh-no-he-oo-lah” in the phonetic
spelling for English speakers (and “オーノヒウラ” for Japanese speakers with the Katakana characters).
The concept of giving a Hawaiian name on the PFS had been envisioned within the collaboration for some time. Following renewed discussions at the collaboration meeting in January 2025, the initiative officially launched with the dedicated support of the Public Information and Outreach (PIO) unit of the Subaru Telescope.
For the naming process, we received the invaluable cooperation of Professor Larry Kimura, a leading authority on Hawaiian language and culture at the University of Hawaii at Hilo, through the mediation of Dr. Devin Chu (Astronomer in Residence at the ʻImiloa Astronomy Center of Hawaiʻi). Upon learning from Dr. Chu about the overwhelming capabilities of the PFS and the grand research missions of the collaboration, Professor Kimura soon conceived the name ʻŌnohiʻula, which carries the profound meaning of unraveling our origins. On the day of the ceremony, after hearing a direct explanation of the instrument’s mechanisms and scientific goals from Professor Hitoshi Murayama, the Principal Investigator (PI) of the PFS collaboration, Professor Kimura reaffirmed his conviction that this name is truly fitting for the PFS.
Through this naming, we sincerely hope that the PFS, the Subaru Telescope, and the research activities of astronomers will become more deeply rooted in the local community of Hawaiʻi and serve as a source of familiarity and inspiration for everyone in the islands.
Prior to the naming ceremony, Professor Murayama visited the Subaru Telescope at the summit of Maunakea, and observed the ʻŌnohiʻula PFS instrument in the midst of its scientific observing run. Although his stay in Hilo was brief—effectively only two days—it was an exceptionally dense and productive visit. In addition to the summit visit and the ceremony, he energetically engaged in a public lecture at ʻImiloa and a research seminar at the Hilo base facility. Moving forward, one of our key goals is to create numerous opportunities for Professor Murayama and researchers from around the world to share the scientific discoveries made by ʻŌnohiʻula PFS with the local community, further deepening our mutual connection.
