Fall equinox occurs today at 10:44HST. Today there will be little difference between the length of the night compared to number of daylight hours. This is the first day of fall as marked by many cultures in the northern hemisphere.
Full Moon taken 27Aug2007, 90mm f/12 APO and Canon 20DaFull Moon will occur today at 01:13HST.
A penumbral lunar eclipse will occur this Full Moon. With a penumbral magnitude of 0.76 this is a relatively deep penumbral eclipse which should create a nice shadow effect across the Moon. Unfortunately none of this eclipse is visible from the central Pacific Ocean.
The latest segment of the new Saddle Road opened this last weekend. From mile post 42 all the way to Mamalahoa Highway we have an all new highway to drive. The road follows a new route, straight for the coast instead of climbing up and over the ridge at Waiki’i. As a result Saddle Road comes out at a new intersection three miles south of the Waikoloa intersection. The old road remains, now demoted to a ranch access road, no longer labeled Highway 200 at the intersection.
Traveling east on the recently opened segment of Saddle Road a few miles above the Mamalahoa Highhway.I finally got a chance to drive the new section late in the week while commuting to and from the summit of Mauna Kea. My reaction to the new section? It is smooth, fast and boring.
Boring!!
There are no blind curves. There are no one-way yields over narrow bridges! No more roller coaster, no slamming the curves at Kilohana. There is even a passing lane all the way up the steep grades. No more thrills and scares while passing the water trucks in no-passing zones. It is just boring!
And much safer I suppose.
What was the Saddle Road of infamy is now the best highway on the island. You can still travel the old segment if you do want a taste of the old Saddle, but most traffic is using the new road. Word from our management is that Keck vehicles are to drive the new road. It is a few miles longer when traveling from Waimea, taking about the same time considering the higher speed limits. For those traveling from Kona or Waikoloa it is substantially shorter.
Boring and safer? I will just have to deal with safer.
The Iris Nebula, NGC7023, in Cepheus, image taken at Oregon Star Party 2013, 10x60s+10x240s+10x480s TV76 and Canon 60D on a ZEQ25 mount and STi autoguider
The planet Mercury is starting an evening apparition. The planet should become visible this week just above the fading glow of the setting Sun as a magnitude -1 object. Currently about 10° from the Sun it will rise higher each evening, reaching a maximum elongation of 25° on October 8th.
A very young moon over Waikoloa, this is only 26 hours after new, visible to the unaided eye as a sliver in the fading glow of sunsetNew Moon will occur today at 01:36HST.
