The Moon
Keck Timelapse Moonrise
Catching the moonrise in just the right spot and with just the right foreground takes planning and perseverance by the photographer. Sometimes things go right and you catch the shot, but you really do not know what you will catch in the final version until you see the final video…
Moon Muncher from Aaron Kupferman on Vimeo.
Winter Solstice
Winter solstice occurs today at 00:44HST. Today the Sun will occupy the most southerly position in the sky of the year. The term solstice comes from the Latin terms Sol (the Sun) and sistere (to stand still). On this day the Sun seems to stand still as it stops moving southwards each day and begins move to the north. This is the first day of winter as marked by many cultures in the northern hemisphere. Alternately, this is the first day of summer for those folks in the southern hemisphere.
| 2016 Solstices and Equinoxes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UT | HST | |||
| Perihelion | Jan 2 | 22:49UT | Jan 2 | 12:49HST |
| Vernal Equinox | Mar 20 | 04:30UT | Mar 19 | 18:30HST |
| Summer Solstice | Jun 20 | 22:34UT | Jun 20 | 12:34HST |
| Apehelion | Jul 4 | 16:24UT | Jul 4 | 06:24HST |
| Autumnal Equinox | Sep 22 | 14:21UT | Sep 22 | 04:21HST |
| Winter Solstice | Dec 21 | 10:44UT | Dec 21 | 00:44HST |
| Source: USNO data Services | ||||
The Opposition Effect
It was pretty obvious, an odd bright spot in the trees below that followed the helicopter. Having educated myself on quite a few optical phenomena I knew exactly what it was I was seeing, and made a point of taking a few photographs.
Called the opposition surge, Seeliger effect or shadow hiding this simple optical phenomena occurs when looking at rough or irregular surfaces that are directly away from the light source, usually the Sun. On an irregular surface some parts will shadow other parts, resulting in an apparent darkening of the overall surface. When looking at that part of the surface directly away from the light source no shadows are seen, making that region appear brighter.
Mauna Kea Snows
We did make it up.
It was simply gorgeous at the summit, sunny and clear with no sign of the winds that had raged across the summit all week. The evidence of those winds was all to apparent, they had left a landscape of sculpted drifts. While the actual snowfall had not been that much, maybe a foot, the drifts were impressive.
Snow on the Mountain
I am currently sitting at Hale Pōhaku on the side of the mauna waiting for the snowplows to get us access. We are all looking at the webcams and the drifts of snow in front of our facility wondering if we will make it up today.
It does not look like it was a huge amount of snow, rather the high winds re-sculpted the snow into drifts against the buildings and the road cuts. The result is some impressive snow drifts. The snowplow crews are reportedly making slow progress.
In the meantime all we have are the webcam images…
Winter in Hawaii
It is currently snowing with freezing fog at the summit. The morning ranger report noted that there are blizzard conditions on the summit and that the road was impassable. The road is closed to all vehicles (not just the public) and the snow removal crews will not attempt to clear the road today. I am scheduled to go up tomorrow, I do have a few things I would like to get done, this may not happen.
Remnant
Eclipse!
Full Moon
