A Darker View

Tonight at the VIS I had hoped to get a glimpse at Comet McNaught. This was not to be. Despite hoofing my 76mm refractor and an alt-az mount up a small cinder cone at 9000ft, the comet was not visible. I found Castor and Pullox easily in the twilight. Unfortunately the correct position for the comet put it just behind the ridgeline from my vantage point. I was stymied by the bulk of Mauna Kea itself.

It was a great night at the VIS, a good crowd, lots of questions all night long. Mild temperatures and no wind combined with a wonderful sky made for a perfect star gazing evening.

Tomorrow I am upping the ante in my comet hunt! I am scheduled to work the day at the summit anyway, so I will just stay up a couple more hours to sunset and attempt to find the comet from the summit, without the mountain in the way. If it is possible, I will see it from 13,600ft!

I am hoping to spot Comet McNaught while it is at it's brightest. But so far this exercise has proven futile, clouds getting in the way. This evening it wasn't clouds, but vog that made it impossible. As I was coming home I noted that I couldn't see Haleakala in the vog and haze, showing that a comet near the horizon was just not going to be spottable. I need to get above the vog!

Comet C/2009 R1, McNaught, is predicted to peak in brightness around July 1st at a little dimmer than second magnitude. This is easily visible to the unaided eye if the viewing conditions are favorable. Unfortunately conditions are not favorable, as the comet is quite near, or below the horizon after it gets dark. For the next few days the comet is approaching the head of Gemini, passing quite close to Castor and Pullox. This puts it quite low on the northwestern horizon at sunset, about 10° elevation, right above the Sun. Perihelion, or closest approach to the Sun will be July 2nd for the comet.

For much of the world the comet has ceased to be visible, the late twilight further north hiding the comet from view, southern observers are frustrated by the northern declination of the comet. But here in Hawai'i, or anywhere else of similar latitude, it should be possible, barely, to see the comet as it peaks in brightness. At least that is the answer I get from my computer as I examine dates and positions. I have to try it and find out.

For the next couple days the comet sets within a couple minutes of 8pm, while sunset is at 7:15, giving a nice window when spotting the comet should be possible. It will require a low and clear northwestern horizon. Fortunately I will have access to such a horizon tomorrow night, at the VIS. I will have to hike up Pu'u Kalepeamoa, but that is just a 5min walk from the VIS. From there the view is spectacular, even better if that view includes a bright comet sporting a tail!

As the TMT project moves steadily through the legal process there has been almost no sign of the opposition. What opposition there has been has seemed to be pro-forma, we have seen only a shadow of the passion that has marked previous legal wrangling over use of the summit.

The TMT is the latest lightning rod in the controversy over the presence of telescopes on Mauna Kea. Reaction to this particular project a reflection of the current status of the entire issue. Watching the TMT approvals process shows something has changed.

It is clear that community opinion over the observatories has shifted. The astronomy community has steadily moved towards responsible management of the summit, with proper procedures and planning. There is now a plan, a plan that clearly spells out how potentially contentious issues like public access are to be handled. In response it seems the island community has also shifted it's position to meet in a common ground.

A reminder that a partial lunar eclipse will occur tonight starting at about 23:00 HST. This one is a deep partial and will be well placed for observers here in Hawai'i. Step outside if you are still up at midnight and take a look. Maximum eclipse will be 1:38 tomorrow morning.

With fins neatly edged by white and black stripes, the Bandfin Cardinalfish is smartly dressed. This fish, like many reef fish, changes color at night. In this case it loses the red tint and becomes bluish in the darkness, with a bolder pattern of coloration.

It was the talk of the summit crew this morning. Governor Lingle paid a surprise visit to Keck's summit facility. It was part of an island wide tour of high technology projects, including operations at NELHA and a tour of the summit. Her itinerary had called for a stop to view the site for TMT, which is best seen from above, by walking out behind Keck. While she was there they stepped inside and toured our facility.

Big Island Video News has published a nice account of the entire island tour, which includes a couple very familiar faces.

The Comb Jellies are usually pelagic, found in the deep open waters well offshore. Somehow this one was wandering just above the reef. It looked to be somewhat damaged, which may explain why it was drifting into such dangerous territory. Even injured it was a beautiful thing, with rows of shimmering iridescent cilia along its body.

Summer solstice occurs at 11:28UT (01:28HST) today. The official beginning of summer for many calendars, this day is also the longest day of the year for observers in the northern hemisphere, or the shortest if you live south of the equator. The sun will makes it's northernmost path across the sky, and will begin swinging south in the sky after today.

2010 Solstices and Equinoxes
Perihelion	Jan 3
Spring Equinox	Mar 20	17:32 UT
Summer Solstice	Jun 21	11:28 UT
Apehelion	Jul 6
Fall Equinox	Sep 23	03:09 UT
Winter Solstice	Dec 21	23:38 UT

Source: USNO Data Services Website

I have often heard rumors about other artifacts at Mahukona, anyone who has visited the area is fully aware of just how much junk has accumulated in this little harbor. The steam engine is my usual drop point for exploring the area, and explore we have, with more than a dozen dives in this pretty cove.

Apparently the rumor of large anchors further out are true. Eric and his dive buddy Gerard (who go by the screen names S0ckm0nk3y and gkndivebum on ScubaBoard) set out to find them. Using scooters to cover a lot of ground fast they indeed did find the anchors. Sounds like they are quite a swim, I don't think I will be setting out to find them myself any time soon.

On the evening of June 25 and into the morning of Jun 26 a partial eclipse will occur when the moon slips deeply into the Earth's shadow. At maximum the inner shadow of the Earth, the umbra, will cover just over half the Moon. The result will be a dramatically darkened Moon with over half of the disk covered in a dark shadow.

This event occurs while the Moon is high in the sky for observers across the Pacific region. Viewers in Hawai'i, New Zealand and much of Australia will be able to see the entire eclipse. For those in the western US the Moon will set while the eclipse is underway. Asian observers will see the eclipse at Moonrise.

While not as dramatic as a total lunar eclipse the effect will still be quite striking. For the casual observer there will obviously be something wrong with the Moon. The appearance is notably different than normal lunar phases.

Lunar eclipses differ from solar eclipses in that observers in an entire hemisphere may watch the eclipse, you need not be in exactly the right spot to witness the event. As a result there are more chances to see a lunar eclipse than solar eclipses, unless you rack up the frequent flier miles.

Viewers in North America and the Pacific will have another chance to view a lunar eclipse later this year. On December 21st a total lunar eclipse will allow observers to see a completely darkened Moon high in the sky.

The dwarf planet Ceres is the largest of the asteroids in the inner solar system at 932km (579miles) in diameter. This is enough mass and gravity to pull it into a round shape, thus qualifying for dwarf planet status, not merely an asteroid.

Today Ceres will pass through opposition, visible at magnitude 7.1 in the constellation Sagittarius. While fairly bright, the thick Milky Way star fields may make the dwarf planet difficult to spot just 3°47' west of M8, the lagoon nebula.