Twilight Telescopes
Category: Astronomy
Exploring the cosmos
Sunrise Along the Morning Commute
Violet and a Meteor
Living in the Protest Bubble
Given my interactions with various protesters I have wondered just what information is exchanged in the camp privately among those who have been living there. I wonder how that information has shaped their views and driven the core of the Kia’i movement.
My worry is that the camp is serving as an environment where a more extreme stance in this controversy can be created and thrive.
The recipe for this is simple… Take a number of people that already share the same views, isolate them together, and bring in speakers and teachers that amplify the message. The result of this process is well understood in human psychology.
One of the common statements from those in the camp, one repeated over and over, is to come on up and live in the camp, only then you will understand.
Continue reading “Living in the Protest Bubble”Betelgeuse Fading
Something is definitely not right with Orion. For anyone familiar with the sky the constellation just looks wrong with Betelgeuse at half its normal brilliance.
We have long known Betelgeuse is a dying star, in the last stages of its life. Old stars tend to be unstable, changing in brightness. Betelgeuse has always varied a bit, but this is the largest change on record.
It is odd to see such an iconic star change so dramatically, a reminder that not even the stars are permanent.
The photo tends to flatten the magnitude of stars, the difference is not as obvious. You need to step outside and look for yourself. Orion currently rises late in the evening.
A Full Night at Kaʻohe
A last star party of the year, actually the last star party of the decade.
With new Moon in the middle of Christmas week I had the choice of the weekend before Christmas, or the weekend after. Guessing that attendance would be better in the quiet days between holidays I chose December 28th as our monthly new Moon star party.
The site was, as usual our Ka’ohe observing site on the side of Mauna Kea. The weather was nearly ideal, clear, not very cold, and almost no wind at the site.
Arriving at the site to find beautiful, clear skies we marveled at the sunset scene. A brilliant Venus and three day old crescent Moon hung above the fading sunset and Hualālai.
Continue reading “A Full Night at Kaʻohe”Jupiter at Superior Conjunction
Today Jupiter passes through superior conjunction, rounding the far side of the Sun as seen from our earthbound vantage point.
Jupiter will re-emerge in the dawn sky towards the end of the January. Look for the planet low in the glow of dawn, rising higher each day.
Jupiter will pass through opposition on July 13th, 2020, crossing into the evening sky.
New Moon
New Moon will occur today at 19:13HST.
An annular solar eclipse will sweep across the Indian Ocean, Southern India, and Indonesia during this new Moon.
This coming weekend, Dec 29th, offers an excellent dark night for observing. Get out to enjoy some holiday stars!
Continue reading “New Moon”Winter Solstice
The winter solstice will occur at 18:19HST today.
The Sun has reached the most southerly declination it will achieve this year. After today the Sun begins to move north in our skies.
Today will be the shortest day of the year for those of us located in the northern hemisphere.
Today is considered the start of winter for most cultures in the northern hemisphere, or the start of summer for those in the southern hemisphere.
| 2019 Apsides and Seasons | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event | Universal Time | Hawaii Standard Time | ||
| Perihelion | Jan 03 | 05:20UT | Jan 02 | 19:20HST |
| Spring Equinox | Mar 20 | 21:58UT | Mar 20 | 11:58HST |
| Summer Solstice | Jun 21 | 15:54UT | Jun 21 | 05:54HST |
| Aphelion | Jul 04 | 22:11UT | Jul 04 | 12:11HST |
| Fall Equinox | Sep 23 | 07:50UT | Sep 22 | 21:50HST |
| Winter Solstice | Dec 22 | 04:19UT | Dec 21 | 18:19HST |
| Data from US Naval Observatory Data Services | ||||
December Observing List
Our next club dark sky star party will be Dec 28th at the usual Kaʻohe site, in the lull between the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.
For the evening I have again assembled an observing list for those who want to explore some of the more interesting objects available in the sky this month.
These are all visible in the early evening, all suitable for average telescopes, with a couple more suitable for binocular viewing.
While most of these will be easy to locate and observe, there are a few more challenging objects in the list.
Continue reading “December Observing List”