A Darker View

IC2177 is part of a large, faint nebula complex in Monoceros, just north of Sirius and the head of the Big Dog, Canis Major. A wonderful area to explore in good binoculars or low power telescope. The whole region abounds with faint wisps of nebula interspersed with multiple open clusters. Best appreciated with truly dark skies where even a small telescope will show the nebulosity.

A reminder that the February WHAC Meeting is tomorrow evening, Feb 9th. We will have Sandra Dawson, from the TMT here to give us an update on the status of the project.

This month's meeting will be taking place at the CFHT Headquarters conference room at 7pm in Waimea.

Another Nudi! And one of the prettiest to be found in local waters at that. Upon going through I cave I will always carefully check the rubble to be found along the floor. This is one of the best places to find nudibranchs, and a close look will often reward the observant diver.

This time it was a species of nudibranch I knew was present on the Kona and Kohala Coast but had yet to find. The instant I saw it I knew what it was and yelled "Yes!", even with a regulator in my mouth. Photography ensues, as the other divers wait for me and wonder just what is worth all those camera flashes on the floor of a cave.

I really need to keep track of the Photomixers YouTube channel. Yes, these are the folks who brought us Hotel Mauna Kea and Getting Lucky at the Cassegrain. Ted, Tim, Kelly, and Ramsey, astronomers and sometimes observers on the IRTF telescope give us a musical version of astronomy. They have a few new ones posted since I last checked, always worth a listen...

In the driveway again. Unexpectedly the skies are dark and clear over Waikoloa. Shooting some targets I have shot a few times before, this time attempting to go deeper, with more exposures and autoguiding. Right now the camera is shooting M42 again, but I plan on several hours of exposure. My old ST-4 autoguider seems to be running perfectly, we shall see what I get.

Last Thursday I gave a few hints to one of the volunteers who was trying to use the imaging system owned by the Mauna Kea VIS. She was attempting some CCD imaging, and had gotten most of the way there, but was stymied by a few small details. That is the reality of astrophotography, it is an art of details, dozens of small issues, any one of which may defeat the photographer.

After a little work we were indeed firing away, but it was too late to get much in the way of material, only a couple frames through each filter. Still I took what we did get and tried processing it into final form. Not too bad. Quite a bit of noise, something that would have been no issue with a few more frames of the target.

Again I used one of the C-14's at the VIS to attempt another shot of Mars while it is near opposition.

Again the conditions were not optimal, a cold, downslope breeze blurring the images at the extremely high magnification needed to do webcam imaging. The image danced and blurred in the video.

Still, the resulting image isn't horrible, but I know I could do much better if decent conditions were available.

An odd shaped lump, covered with algae, half buried in the sand. A second look shows a vague snail like shape, but this is too big to be a snail, isn't it? This thing is nearly a foot in diameter!

The divers trick is to grab a nearby collector urchin and drop it in front of the snail. Within moments this odd lump emerges from the sand and moves towards the hapless urchin with surprising speed. A Horned Helmet Snail feeds on urchins and will readily make to grab a quick snack of the proffered urchin.

I have seen big snails, but this is enormous!

This time I retrieve the urchin from certain death and return it to the nearby coral head whence it came. But in the meantime I get a few photos...

W.M. Keck Observatory Position Announcement...

OPTICS ASSISTANT

The W. M. Keck Observatory operates the world’s two largest optical/infrared telescopes located on the summit of Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii. Under the supervision of the Interferometer Operations Manager, this position supports the Interferometry Project. Ideal candidate should be a motivated, self-starter who can work on multiple tasks and priorities within a fast paced environment.

Qualifications include: Bachelor’s degree in astronomy, optics, physics, engineering, or equivalent experience and one year of experience in scientific computing, optical engineering or related field. Prior experience working at an astronomical observatory and an associates or bachelors degree in a technical field are desirable. This is a 365 day/year operation - the successful candidate must be willing to work weekends and holidays and have schedule flexibility.

This is a temporary full time position through September 30, 2011. The position may be extended depending upon funding. Employment is conditional on successful completion of drug tests and background check. Mail or fax resumes, references, and salary history to: Optics Assistant, WMKO, 65-1120 Mamalahoa Highway, Kamuela, HI 96743; Fax (808) 881-3696 or employment@keck.hawaii.edu. Additional information about WMKO and this position may be found on our web site at www.keckobservatory.org. EEO/M/F/D/V

There is a lot more to a healthy reef than brightly colored fish. The coral itself, untold species of invertebrates, birds and marine mammals, sea turtles and the algae.

Forming the basis for the entire reef ecosystem, the algae are critical to reef habitat. Like plants, algae can convert sunlight to sugars, feeding itself and everything else that feeds on it. From the symbiotic zoothanthellae algae that lives in coral tissue to the many forms of alga that grow on the reef itself, alga are everywhere. Many species fulfill other reef roles... The coralline alga are actually important reef builders, forming a hard covering that accumulates year upon year to increase the reef structure.

Some algae can also become the bane of the reef ecosystem. When conditions are right they grow out of all bounds, smothering the reef and destroying habitat. Invasive species threaten many reefs around the world, including those here in Hawai'i.

Any diver that spends much time on the reef soon notices the many forms of algae. If curiosity about these reef dwelling algae is to be satisfied you need a book, a reference identifying the various species and thier roles on the reef. Fortunately Hawaiian divers and snorkelers have such a book... Hawaiian Reef Plants, by John Huisman, Isabella Abbot, and Celia Smith, published by the University of Hawai'i Sea Grant Program. The book covers the alga, as well a sea grasses, kelps and a few of the most common diatoms.

The number of species in Hawaiian waters is far too large to fit in a small volume like this, many entries are for the most common, but clear reference is made to similar species that can be found. A novice using the book needs to be aware that an identification made by a non-expert using a guidebook is always subject to some doubt. But this book allows even the novice to make a reasonable attempt to ID the species, and ID's will probably be right most the time.

If you want a copy this book might be difficult to find, being something of a specialty book it is not universally available. It can be ordered online from the publisher, the UofH Sea Grant college. It used to be that the book was not listed on Amazon, but they now carry it for the same price as the UofH.

One nice benefit of working a couple engineering nights at the summit is the chance to watch sunset. I normally depart the summit before the sun goes down, as we turn the telescopes over to the night crew. This time I get to stay and watch, and apply my personal rule... always carry a camera.