An interesting bit of news passed along, HELCO was planning a power outage at 8pm. I expect my reaction to this information was a little different than most… This is great! With a school star party scheduled at Kohala Elementary, the news that the entire town would be dark for the star party was a pleasant surprise.
I stopped to get dinner in Hawi on the way. Surprisingly the Bamboo Restaurant was open early, they normally do not open until 6pm. I find out that the whole town was bracing for the power cut at 8pm, with events and opening times moved up. Not everyone had gotten the notice, I was the only diner in the restaurant. A pleasant meal chatting with the staff and a good burger were just what I needed, food and a brief rest to prepare for the evening.
Arrival at the school revealed preparation for a major event. A stage and sound system were being set up, along with a generator to allow operation into the power outage. The evening was part of a summer enrichment program running through much of the month. Major themes of the program included space science and astronomy. A cafeteria filled with student exhibits showed that the kids have had a great time with the program.
We work out a spot to setup the telescopes as WHAC club members and telescopes start to arrive. Some outreach folks from CFHTalso attended, providing a robust observatory showing, seven ‘scopes in all. We would need every eyepiece, with much of the school present it was a substantial crowd!
The lights went out right on schedule. The school went dark, the only light from the movie screen now showing Wall-E. Even though the main program was over, few folks expressed any urgency to return to darkened homes. The school was the community activity of the evening. The telescopes were surrounded by families eager to see what we had to offer.
Cumulus clouds drifting through did cause some frustration, blocking the view of Saturn and other objects for periods of time. The clouds did have openings however, viewers patience was rewarded by beautiful views between the clouds. And it was dark! The school lights off, the movie hidden by the corner of the cafeteria. Hawi and Kapaʻau are rural to begin with, without power things are truly dark!
When the clouds did relent the viewing was great. Sharp views of Saturn and objects along the rising Milky Way. Alberio, bright star clusters, a brilliant Venus and of course Saturn. My ‘scope was on the ringed planet all evening, the line of folks wanting to see Saturn was unrelenting. Fortunately the conditions provided a view worth the wait!
It was really worth the effort to get the telescopes up to Kohala for this event. With the whole school participating in the evening’s events it was a great opportunity to show folks the sky. I was glad we could add another part to a fun program.