An Evening at the VIS

The last month has seen pleasant conditions at Mauna Kea Visitor Information Station evening stargazing program. Warm temperatures, little or no wind, and clear skies overhead, ideal for discovering the universe.

With a late sunset there is a wait for the sky to grow dark. It has become my habit to run a question and answer period in the small theater to pass the time before dark. The audience is often a little reticent at first, but after a couple questions there are more hands in the air than I have time, questions and answers flow as everyone begins to learn a little.

Anything astronomical goes, I can address questions about the mountain, the observatories and the science. Most of the time I have answers at the ready, but I have found I need to do more reading on dark matter and dark energy. I have no trouble admitting I just do not know sometimes, indeed the audience seems to find it reassuring that I don't know everything. Even the science of astronomy has had to admit this often enough. Instead I remind them that the telescopes on the mountain still have much to do.

I particularly like cultural questions, inquires about the controversies surrounding use of the summit. I get to address these issues directly. There are valid issues here, with several sides of the story, each of which I try to address fairly even while clearly declaring my bias. The evidence in living culture and on the ground unambiguously demonstrates the sacred nature of the summit. Parts of the community believe the summit should be pristine and the telescopes removed. To me the observatories represent the highest expression of humanity's desire to learn and explore, a fitting use for a special place.

Warm summer weather means that the crowd does not disappear as fast. In the winter is was normal for everyone to have left by 8 or 9pm, leaving those of us who have dressed for the cold. In the summer, with a later sunset and clement conditions at 9,200ft, it is normal for us to have to give a last call and shut-down with a decent crowd around the 'scopes. The long evening gives more time for exchanges with guests, a chance for one-on-one learning while we hop from target to target.

Given time I love to tell a story at the scope... A stop by a nebula where stars are forming, an open cluster of young stars, an old red Giant like Antares or Arcturus. A final stop at a planetary nebula or supernova remnant brings the cycle to a close as the star dies and returns mass to the interstellar medium.

The Milky Way high overhead allows the discussion to shift to galaxies. A few featured in the eyepiece, M51 with it's spiral arms, NGC4565 showing what a spiral looks like seen from the side. Then turn and look up without the telescope, using the laser to point out the bulge and dust lanes of the Milky Way. If I do it right I am rewarded by a moment of revelation as my guest realizes what they are seeing overhead. They look up with a new appreciation for the beauty of the night sky.

One little personal discovery, that is my goal. To see wonder appear for a moment in the expression of someone I have never before met, and will probably never see again. One discovery and my evening is complete.