A Darker View

The 2009 Parker Ranch Rodeo will be tomorrow, July 3rd, 9am to Noon, at the Waimea Rodeo Grounds. Head on over to witness the real character of the Waimea ranching tradition. Admission is $6 at the gate, for a day of roping, double mugging, horse racing and more.

Deb and I attended this rodeo in 2008 and it was a lot of fun. I have attended a lot of rodeos, from big professional rodeos to small Indian rodeos, the Parker Ranch Rodeo is among the best. Real cowboys competing for nothing more than pride makes for good events.

The TMT site decision is to be announced this month, probably after the 21st when the TMT board meets. Few issues will have a material impact for life on the Big Island like this one. A billion dollar construction project means a lot of jobs and money injected into this small economy.

I realize I have now written quite a few articles meant, at least in part, to illuminate the TMT project and what it might mean to the island. A quick list of some of the highlights for those of you who may have missed them the first time...

TMT Versus Space Based Alternatives Why ground based astronomy is far more cost effective than space telescopes

TMT Jobs Dispelling the misconception that telescope jobs are for mainlanders.

A Letter to the Editor A letter that was published in the local newspaper addressing the issue of telescope payments for use of the land.

Size of the TMT The statement has been made and oft repeated that the TMT dome would be the size of a football stadium. Wrong.

Reaction to the Mauna Kea CMP Looking at some of the outrageous, and usually wrong statements opponents make about the TMT and the Mauna Kea Comprehensive Management Plan.

Why Astronomy? Just why do we build ever larger telescopes to study the distant universe?

TMT Draft EIS Release and waiting for the reaction to this milestone document.

Waimea TMT EIS Meeting A writeup of the first meeting in the series after release of the draft EIS and the first of the series.

TMT Comments Just a few words I put forth at the TMT EIS meeting in Waimea

Governor Lingle has signed SB536 requiring the creation of a strategy to preserve dark skies across the state. Hawai'i County has a dark sky protection ordinance, but there is no state wide regulation. This is good news for the environment, the taxpayers and astronomy here in Hawai'i. Effort is still needed, this is not protection, but simply the first steps in the right direction.

ACT 161 (09)
SB536 SD1 HD1 CD1
Signed: June 29, 2009

RELATING TO STARLIGHT RESERVE
Requires the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to develop a statewide starlight reserve strategy to preserve the quality of the night sky and its associated cultural, scientific, astronomical, natural, and landscape-related values.

Full text of SB536 can be found on the HI Legislature website

Cribbage is taken seriously in the Keck summit breakroom. Most any day there will be a lunchtime game in progress. Two well worn boards are available, and occasionally a new deck of cards shows up when the old ones begin to fall apart. Two person and three person variants are played, but a four person game with partners is preferred as long as the necessary players are available.

This is a quirky game with more than a few odd rules. New players are often aghast as rules like "nobs" or "his heels" are introduced. But that quikiness is the secret to the game, it keeps it interesting. The game is fairly simple, but can become quite complex in the events that may occur as play proceeds. Perhaps explaining why the game remains popular and remains essentially unchanged despite over three centuries of play.

Anyone who can play a good game is welcome at the table, and if there are not enough players available, the uninitiated are wooed into the play. At Keck we play standard cribbage, with rules right out of Hoyle's. There is one exception, we do not play muggins, no point stealing. We want to have a friendly game, played only for pride... no score, no money, no record of the games kept beyond bragging rights and taunts around the table the next day. Nobody seems to win all the time, a large element of chance keeps the winner's honors evenly spread around as lady luck favors who she will.

I find it interesting that the game of choice is one that requires good cognitive skills, a distinct challenge at 13,600ft elevation. This leads to one form of discrimination, lowlanders, those with thoughts slowed by 40% less oxygen, are easy marks. Mastery of the game at high elevation is a right of passage on the summit as your body and mind adapt.

A fun game, and one I have had to forego over the last week as busy days consumed my time and I worked through lunch. But yesterday was better, I had time to sit and relax for my midday meal.

I won the game.

Good news for the Hawai'i teams in the international MATE ROV competition! These teams put impressive efforts into their ROV's, it was a pleasure to judge them during the regional competitions in Hilo. Looks like the efforts paid off at the national competitions at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.

With one team taking 4th place and out other teams placing quite well. A number of these teams have been doing this competition for a couple years now, the experience really shows. Looking forward to the international competition taking place in Hilo next year!

I pass along word from Gary Fujihara, a gentleman who works tirelessly to promote science and engineering education on the Big Island...

Aloha,

I just received word from IRTF Electronics Tech Darryl Watanabe from Boston, that the Mauna Kea Education Academy (a homeschooled student team based in Hilo, and of which two of Darryl's sons are members) and their Delta Shark ROV (Remote Operated Vehicle) took 4th Place in the
MATE International underwater robotics competition in Buzzard's Bay.
Kudos also to Moanalua High (16th place) and Kealakehe Intermediate (24th place) who also represented Hawai'i most admirably.

Please help congratulate this fine group of youngsters on their superb efforts and on bringing pride and honor to Hilo, the location for the 2010 MATE International ROV competition next year.

More info: http://astroday.net/

Gary Fujihara
UH Institute for Astronomy

After several weeks of remaining quite bright, the glow from the Halema'uma'u vent has been more variable. According to the USGS Volcano Observatory daily reports recent nights have seen little glow with a reappearance of bright glow late last night. This is probably due to a crust forming over the lava below, but a thin crust that can easily be destroyed as the magma level rises and falls in the vent.

We have had some spectacular sunsets along the Kohala Coast over the last few days. The tradewinds have been strong, keeping the vog out of Waimea and Waikoloa. But the vog can be seen off the coast, tinting the air an odd shade of gold while the sun sets.

The rays in the image are caused by cloud shadows, properly called crepuscular rays, they form a dramatic pattern. The rays indicate a fair amount of aerosols or dust in the air, allowing the shadows to appear in otherwise clear air.

The construction of the Waimea connector Road is in full swing, heavy equipment moving rock and earth to form the roadbed. After breaking ground in early May the project took a while to get into gear. Things have changed over the last week. Driving past each day there is progress to be seen as the big machines really get to work. Goodfellow Brothers has earned a reputation lately for doing the job right and not wasting time. More than can be said for other projects around the island.

The road will connect the Mamalahoa Highway near the Parker Ranch headquarters, with the back of the Luala'i development and on to Pukalani Road. While the route may not be as effective as the, still in planning, Waimea Bypass, it may provide some relief to the traffic jams that form in Waimea every afternoon.

We may not yet have the laser, it is not due for another couple months, but much of the infrastructure is in place for the Keck 1 laser. This includes the launch telescope assembly (LTA). It seems odd to use a telescope backwards. One expects starlight to come in the front of a telescope in order to focus on a camera or eyepiece, allowing us to view the universe. This also works in reverse, light can be projected into the sky from a telescope. In this case a twenty watt yellow laser to be used to create a reference "star" for the adaptive optics system.

The Launch Telescope is a 500mm aperture, very compact reflecting design, mounted to the rear of the secondary mirror of the 10m Keck 1 telescope. The laser will come up from below in an optical fiber to be injected into the telescope across a small optical bench. On the bench, mounted to the side of the launch telescope, are several small steering mirrors, an optical power measuring diode, a beam quality camera and a focus stage.

Installing the LTA was straightforward, hoist the telescope into place and add bolts. Everything fit nicely, a testament to three dimensional CAD programs and the engineers who know how to get everything to fit the first time, even when working with components manufactured at various places across the globe.

Getting everything aligned was the next challenge. The LTA must be precisely aligned with the main telescope so that they are looking at exactly the same point in the sky. So how do you align the two telescopes? One of our AO experts had an idea he had used before, a form of electronic level that could be attached to the LTA and hopefully allow us to get close enough. A few minutes of brainstorming as we worked out a procedure... Mount the level to the LTA, checking that the front plate of this small telescope is aligned with its optical axis. Then point the 10 meter telescope precisely straight up. The LTA should also be pointed straight up. Compare the measurements and adjust the mounting bolts. Measure the error, drop the telescope to the horizon position where we can climb in and make adjustments. Then it is back to zenith to check the position again. Repeat...

These little electronic levels are slick little devices. I had never used one before, but can think of a few more places one would be handy. Very accurate, but only over a very small range, a little over a degree. Just add a cable and read the level out a couple hundred feet away using a serial port and a laptop computer.

To check the alignment, our optics engineer and I installed a small video camera in the LTA optical assembly, at the same focal plane where the end of the laser optical fiber will eventually be mounted. This would allow us to see the same object the main telescope was pointed to. Point the Keck 1 telescope at a target and hope we see the same star in the video camera on the laser launch telescope.

A couple weeks later we had a few minutes of night engineering time to check the alignment. The alignment was not perfect, the star was just outside our field of view on the video camera the first time. I experienced a moment of heavy disappointment when no star was visible on the screen. With a feeling of dread I asked to telescope operator to move a few arcminutes north to begin sweeping the sky and looking for the star. We got lucky! A dot of light clipped the corner of the display on the first move. Walking the position backwards we were able to find the star and center it in the display.

The electronic level method had worked pretty well, we were able to get within 1 arc minute in azimuth and about 2 arc minutes in elevation of the true optical axis. An arcminute is 1/60th of a degree. Today we will be attempting to make an adjustment to center up the alignment. Unlocking the clamping bolts and making the smallest of adjustments with hope that the star will appear the first time when we next have an opportunity to check the alignment on-sky.

I came across a truly bittersweet bit of news today. After 74 years Kodak is ending production of Kodachrome film. Since its introduction in 1935, Kodachrome has been a mainstay in the photographic art, shooting countless photographs and feature films.

I have to admit I am partly responsible for this. I and all the others who loved and used Kodachrome for so long. We have betrayed the true path and defected to digital. I have not taken a photograph on film for over seven years, when I finally succumbed to the inevitable march of technology and bought my first digital camera, a Nikon 995.

One of the magical places you can visit in the desert southwest is a relatively unknown Utah state park, Kodachrome Basin. On one of my between semester road trips during my college years I drove the long road into this park on a whim. The area was named by a National Geographic film crew that visited the area in 1949. The landscape was made for photography, with photo worthy scenes around every tree and rock formation. I was indeed carrying Kodachrome film in my camera at the time. I will have to spend some time and dig out those photographs.

If you were to have opened my old 35mm camera you would have found one of three types of film... If I could afford it, Fuji Velvia 50, otherwise Ektachrome 100, with the occasional roll of Kodachrome 64. I usually kept a roll of Kodachrome in the camera bag reserved for the good stuff. With camera in hand I traveled England and continental Europe, as well as many trips through the fantastic landscape of the desert southwest.

Maybe I should pull out one of the old 35mm film cameras, buy a roll of Kodachrome and shoot it before they stop selling it. Have to do it this year, Kodak will be shutting down the processing at the end of 2009.