Lanihuli Observatory supports both astronomical and meteorological education and research for the college's astronomy classes, Hawai‘i Space Grant students and the general public. Its community outreach efforts include a visitor's gallery.

Astronomical Telescopes:

• Optical: Meade LX200 16-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope
    
• Solar: Meade LXD55 6" refractor with 8" flat mirrors and SolarMax 90mm H-Alpha filter
    
• Radio: Log-periodic radio antenna used primarily for the NASA Radio JOVE project
    
• Cosmic Ray: Detector used primarily for the QuarkNet project

Meteorological Instrument:

• NOAA Tracking Station: Telonic's Tris system to track NOAA weather satellites
    
• Weather Station: Weather gauges for monitoring local weather conditions at the campus

Visitor's Gallery:

• Magic Planet: Interactive videos displayed on a 2-foot diameter globe
    
• Computer kiosks: Computer stations with interactive software about astronomy and the weather
    
• Models & Library: Display models and a small library on astronomy