MAUNA KEA – The Mauna Kea Visitor Information Station is open once again.

The University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy made the announcement Friday on their Facebook page. The VIS website now has a welcoming message on its front page, declaring the facility at the 9,200 foot level of the Mauna Kea Access Road is now “open every day of the year from 9AM until 10PM.”

The VIS has been closed for nearly a month and a half, ever since the chaotic June 24th day of civil disobedience in opposition to the construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope. The facility was shut down, restrooms were locked and the water was turned off.

Astronomers from around the world are convening on Hawaii this week as the International Astronomical Union holds its triennial general assembly at the Hawaii Convention Center.