I have a pile of material that was donated to the observatory. While some of the gear will be used for outreach, a fair amount of the pile is not usable for this. With JoAnne reminding me about the stack in her warehouse it is time for me to sort it out and dispose of it. Among the pile was an entire crate of books… Astronomy textbooks, star charts, observing guides, and more.
The Losmandy G11 mount setup in the driveway for an evening of astrophotography
This pile of books included a full set of the classic Burnham’s Celestial Handbook, both volumes of Uranometria, and other treasures. After determining the observatory had no need for these I brought them to the last astronomy club meeting and gave them away. It was nice to see these books go to those who would appreciate them.
At the bottom of the pile was something that caught my eye, several old catalogs and manuals. These were just fun to read through. There are both Losmandy and Takahashi catalogs from 1998 and 1999, as well as a manual for a Takahashi FS Series refractor.
The 1999 Losmandy catalog was particularly interesting. My old Losmandy G11 is a workhorse mount, one that has seen many adventures with me. The manual includes a price list, showing that it once sold for $3400, quite a bit more than the $1400 I paid for mine used in about the same era. Interestingly Losmandy still sells this mount and most of same accessories found in this catalog.
As I read I realized that this catalog may also be good to scan and post so that others may find this catalog a useful resource. I hope to scan and post some of the other items in the stack that might be good to save.
Plumeria are by far the prettiest flowers we have in the yard. Along with the four small trees along the front of the house there are two more at the back corner. The back plumeria are more photogenic, with deep yellow centers.
I have photographed our plumeria over and over across the years, it is quite a collection of photos at this point…
Plumeria blossoms in the rain
Plumeria blossoms in the rain
A gold dust day gecko (Phelsuma laticauda) on a plumeria blossom
Plumeria off the front lanai.
Plumeria (Plumeria obtusa) blossoms on the front lanai
Plumeria bloom in the yard all summer long
Plumeria (Plumeria rubra) blooming off the front lanai
A gold dust day gecko (Phelsuma laticauda) on a plumeria blossom
A gold dust day gecko (Phelsuma laticauda) on a plumeria blossom
A plumeria lei left outside Keck Observatory
Plumeria blossoms dampened by rains from Tropical Storm Flossie
Loading a site icon to your website will create a unique icon in shortcut lists and on browser tabs. it is a neat touch that identifies your website in a very visual way. The problem is that there is a dizzying array of icons needed to support the various browsers and devices. One format for chrome, another for Internet Explorer, one for iOS devices, etc., etc.
NGC2244, the Rosette Nebula, the current site icon image for Darker ViewFortunately the later versions of WordPress make it easy. A built in function of WordPress creates all of the needed icons from a single image. The function is found in the theme, and is supported by many modern themes. Simply go to Appearance->Themes, then select Customize->Site Identity for your current theme. At the bottom should a place to load your site icon image.
The only issue then is to select your site icon image. This is easier said than done as not all images work. You need an image that will scale well to the smaller icon sizes used by many devices. An image that looks good at a larger size is very likely to look like mush when scaled to a much smaller size.
WordPress suggests an original size of 512×512 pixels. This will be scaled down to the needed sizes for the various site icons. I would suggest testing your image by resizing it back and forth in an image editor. This should show you how the image will look at sizes from 512×512 to 16×16 pixels. It may take some experimentation to get right.
Yesterday’s post stirred a blaze of comments over on Facebook, there are 50 shares and climbing fast. While there were those who took both sides of the sign, the majority seem to agree with the opinion I put forth in yesterday’s post. Most agree that the sign is inappropriate and quite possibly counterproductive.
Paul Hirst That sign annoys me, I think it’s ineffective at best, and very probably counterproductive. I too have hiked up there many times, but not since the sign appeared. Though to be honest and having given it more thought now, I don’t think the sign would stop me if I wanted to go again, though it may have dissuaded me in the past at times when I might otherwise have gone.
The sign asking for people to not hike to the true summit of Mauna KeaThe fundamental problem I have with it is that it’s completely un-enforceable, so it has the effect where now the people who do go are the ones who ignored the sign and thus perhaps less likely to respect other things like not disturbing things or leaving litter. Essentially, it reduces the number of people who go to the true summit and take care to have minimal impact on the land, and it has no impact on the number of people who will go up there and don’t care so much. So it just alienates the people who they ought to be befriending as allies in caring for the mountain.
Lynn Paul Richardson I respect cultural sites and always remain within designated walkways. This sign rings hollow to many people who would normally pause at that point.
A fair point was raised in considering the impact that foot traffic has on the summit… Erosion of the area could be an issue. Though I believe this could be mitigated with proper trail maintenance.
Matthew J D’Avella In my opinion people should stay off the true peak for several reasons. Erosion being my number one reason.
Quite a few have suggested that the sign be replaced with something that educates visitors to the importance of the site, request that the be respectful, and stay on the marked trail to minimize the impact to the area.
Chris Runnells Yeah I’m not sure I agree with that. The mountain is sacred to many people regardless of whether or not you’re of Hawaiian ancestry. It’s possible to go to the summit and be respectful without having Hawaiian blood. I think this sign should be replaced with a message to tread with care, pack out what you pack in, etc. I doubt it’s going to actually stop anyone.
I fully agree with different, better signage. This is an idea I should have thought of when writing yesterday’s post, my thanks to those who suggested it. I will probably compile the comments into a letter to Stuart at OMKM, maybe we can get the sign changed. My thanks to the many who commented on this, a productive discussion!
The kerfuffle has served to illustrate the issues that access to Mauna Kea exemplifies. This is a public land access issue. Do you set aside areas as off-limits to the public to appease a specific cultural group. Or should public land be open to everyone, the people of the State of Hawaii? Having had Hawaiian protesters yell at me “Get off our mountain!”, I have to push back. Mauna Kea belongs to all of us, we should care for it, but we can not close access to anyone like this.
The sign asking for people to not hike to the true summit of Mauna KeaNever mind that the trail to the true summit of Mauna Kea is nicely maintained and outlined in rock, the sign requests that you do not take this trail out of respect for the sacredness of the site.
How many people even pause when considering the message on the sign? The trail and the desire to stand atop the real summit of the mountain is substantial. As we pass the trail head and sign each day I usually see several people walking to or standing atop the summit.
Aloha
Maunakea is historically, culturally, and environmentally significant. Help preserve our cultural and natural landscape and show your respect by not hiking beyond this point to the summit.
I have walked this short trail to the summit several times over the years, though not since the sign appeared. There are no particularly sensitive archaeological sites at the summit. This is in contrast to Lake Waiau, which is ringed with shrines and offerings, is just as sacred, and has no such sign to deter the curious from taking the trail.
Personally I am troubled by this sign. Placing such a sign could very well be counter productive. People are going to ignore it, walking right past it to the summit of Mauna Kea. It simply teaches people to ignore boundaries that could protect sensitive sites.
The summit is public land, belonging to the people of Hawaiʻi. I have trouble with the idea that it should be accessible only to a few on the pretense of religious or cultural heritage. Certainly some might view the summit with less than ideal respect for a special place, simply a pile of rock to be conquered. I suspect most see the summit as more than that, a symbol, a place to sit and think about the world.
I am not a religious person, but still, there are places where I find myself stopping and taking a moment to contemplate our world. The summit is one of these places, a focal point of culture, history, and perhaps the future.
Update Oct 4th: Several folks have commented that a sign educating people about the significance of the place, asking them to be respectful, and asking them to stay within the marked trail would be far more appropriate and productive in terms of protecting the site. I have to agree.
Update Oct 5th: I have posted a follow up article. The response to this article has been impressive, with a lot of heartfelt comments. How we view and respect true summit of Mauna Kea is obviously a subject very important to may people.
