When you want to see the stars, find someplace dark
A Photo Review of 2015
Old boots and an older sewing machine in a cobbler’s shop
A review of my favorite photographs of 2015. So many wonderful images, so many memories! It was a very good year for photography with a number of excellent photo opportunities. Opportunities I did not waste. of course living in Hawaiʻi and working atop Mauna Kea often provide a photo or two. Add a trip to Nicaragua allowed a whole new range of photos.
In past eras it was popular to keep a detailed diary of one’s life. While real diaries are rarely kept anymore, blogs and photographs serve much the same purpose. As I have often stated, Darker View is a blog in the original sense, a personal diary of my life. To look back through these photos I relive much of the past year, the good parts anyway.
Click through for the full gallery and click on any photo for a slideshow.
Mauna Kea with a fresh covering of snow and ice
An ancient ahu (shrine) atop Mauna Kea with the summit in the background
Keck Observatory covered in heavy ice
The effects of freezing fog on the summit of Mauna Kea
The emergency evacuation vehicle covered with ice
Sunset along the Kohala Coast, photo by Deborah Cooper
Sunset along the Kohala Coast, photo by Deborah Cooper
A leaking household pressure regulator… Another weekend repair required.
A overturned car resulting from a single vehicle accident on Waikoloa Road 12Feb2015
Cherry blossoms on a tree in Waimea
Hui Okinawa Kobudo Taiko performs at the 2015 Waimea Cherry Blossom Festival
Ke Ola Mau Loa Church in Waimea
The Waimea Plains under the light of a full moon from Kohala Mtn, Road
The sum of 699 exposures taken through the lunar eclipse of Apr 4, 2015
One of the many entries to the cave at Pentagon
A yellow-spotted guard crab (Trapezia flavopunctata) in cauliflower coral
Onomea Falls at the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden
Sunrise over Mauna Kea greets me on the morning commute.
Old boots and an older sewing machine in a cobbler’s shop
A young girl in a hammok on her family’s farm
A cobbler practices his trade in the Boaco market
A family sits in their stall waiting for customers
A Nicaraguan farmer leaning against the wall of his home in Tierra Amarilla
A woman looks out the door of her home in Tierra Amarilla, Nicaragua
A child shyly posing for the camera in Tierra Amarilla, Nicaragua
The market at Boaco, Nicaragua
A vegetable seller checks her figures, Boaco market, Nicaragua
A horsecart in the streets of Grenada, Nicaragua
The Fortress of the Immaculate Conception at El Castillo, Nicaragua
A large thunderstorm looms over the Rio San Juan near Sábalos, Nicaragua
A gold dust day gecko (Phelsuma laticauda) on a pineapple leaf
An orchid at the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden
Heliconia psittacorum at the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden
A petroglyph of a western sailing vessel at the site of the ancient Hawaiian fishing village of Kapalaoa
A petroglyph at the site of the ancient Hawaiian fishing village of Kapalaoa
A petroglyph at the site of the ancient Hawaiian fishing village of Kapalaoa
The interior of a house at the Hawaiian fishing village of Kapalaoa
Two AO lasers aimed at the galactic center with a large red glow coming from Kilauea
Nearly the entire Keck staff forming the outline of one of the primary telescope mirrors
A Keck primary mirror segment awaits stripping and re-coating in the mirror shop
Spare mirror segments in the mirror barn awaiting their turn in the primary mirror
Switches and indicators for the dome simulator awaiting wiring
The first refurbished Keck mirror segment after delivery to the summit
Tools and drawing lay on the table in the welding shop
Fuses, relays, and contactors in the Keck 2 telescope control system
The Keck 2 dome open to the daytime sky
The old and new programmable logic controllers installed in side the control cabinet.
Two new GPS time servers installed in the Keck 2 computer room
The Caltech Submillimeter Telescope (CSO) observing into the dawn
Makaʻiki with the main strut extended for use
Makaʻiki under the stars for the first time at Hale Pōhaku on the side of Mauna Kea
A telescope set up on the grounds of the Mauna Kea resort awaiting dark skies
Cliff setup and ready for viewers at WHEA.
A few telescopes await the night and the CFHT Winter Star Party
The sun glints over the tall Subaru telescope enclosure
The 8.2 meter Subaru Telescope within the building.
The members of the West Hawaii Astronomy Club visit the Subaru telescope
The full Moon rising behind the Gemini North telescope
A gold dust day gecko (Phelsuma laticauda) in a banana leaf
A gold dust day gecko (Phelsuma laticauda) in a banana bunch
A gold dust day gecko (Phelsuma laticauda) on a plumeria blossom
A gold dust day gecko (Phelsuma laticauda) on a plumeria blossom
A waterfall under the old highway bridge on Honoliʻi Stream
A view along the North Kohala Coast from near Pololu Valley, photo by Deborah Cooper
Light at the End of the Tunnel
Japanese Kanji in one of the tunnels along the Kohala Ditch, photo by Deborah Cooper
The Kohala Ditch irrigation canal winds its way around the mountain, photo by Deborah Cooper
A radio telescope of the Very Long Baseline Array stands in the background of an ancient ahu atop Mauna Kea
A macro view of Rasalhague’s eye, Canon EOS-M 100mm f/2.8 and 25mm extension tube
A rider and horse lean into the curve at the 2015 Parker Ranch 4th of July Rodeo and Horse Races
Riders compete in the 2015 Parker Ranch 4th of July Rodeo and Horse Races
Keiki fishing at Anaehoʻomalu Bay
The lava lake at Halemaʻumaʻu with several fountains of lava along the far rim, May 2, 2015.
A father and son obviously enjoying the view at the caldera
A crowd watching the volcano at the Jagger Museum overlook, May 2, 2015, photo by Maureen Salmi
Parked at the end of the R-2 road, high on the side of Mauna Kea
Looking across at a snow covered Mauna Loa from about 9,000ft on Mauna Kea
The Canon 6D camera setup to take short time lapse video sequences of the clouds in the Humuʻula Saddle.
A panarama from atop Puʻu Kole showing Mauna Kea and a distant snow covered Mauna Loa
The remains of an ancient mamane with a snow covered Mauna Loa behind
ʻŌhelo ʻai (Vaccinium reticulatum) atop a cinder cone with a fogbow behind
The sun rising into the sky over Mauna Kea
Puʻu Kole as seen from upslope across the aʻa lava field
A beautiful fogbow, a glory and the spectre of the brocken on Puʻu Palaolelo
The Canon G12 set up to shoot time lapse video of clouds over Mauna Loa
A petroglyph of a western sailing vessel at the site of the ancient Hawaiian fishing village of Kapalaoa
A petroglyph at the site of the ancient Hawaiian fishing village of Kapalaoa
An ancient trail across the lava flows at Kapalaoa
