A Darker View

Full Moon

Full Moon will occur today at 02:01HST.

This full moon will feature a penumbral lunar eclipse visible across the Pacific region. It will be well placed for observers in the Hawaiian Islands where the entire eclipse from beginning to end will be visible. Do not expect much, penumbral lunar eclipses involve only a slight dimming of the Moon, it is unlikely to be noticeable without instrumentation.

Continue reading “Full Moon”

Open to Daylight

Natural Bridges

Still working on scanning the slide collection, I will probably be at it for years. Worth it though, so many memories. Here are a few images from a visit to Natural Bridges National Monument in 1993…

Sipapu Bridge at Natural Bridges National Monument

Skyrocket or scarlet gilia (Ipomopsis aggregata)

Prickly Pear Bloom — Pricly pear cacti bloom at Natural Bridges National Monument

Horsecollar Ruins, an Ancestral Puebloan (Anasazi) site in Armstrong Canyon, Natural Bridges National Monument

Deb and Joy Cooper explore Horsecollar Ruins at Natural Bridges National Monnument

Handprint Petroglyph — An Ancestral Puebloan (Anasazi) petroglyph in Armstrong Canyon, Natural Bridges National Monument

Claret Cup Cacti (Echinocereus triglochidiatus) in bloom

Petroglyph — An Ancestral Puebloan (Anasazi) petroglyph in Armstrong Canyon, Natural Bridges National Monument

Kachina Bridge at Natural Bridges National Monument

Vernal Equinox

The vernal or spring equinox occurs today at 18:30HST. Today there will be little difference between the length of the night when counted against the number of daylight hours. This is the first day of spring as marked by many cultures in the northern 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

Tools Gallery

Waiting for a New Heel — A local camposino waits for some new heels on his boots

Scattered Tools — A scatter of tools at CSO

Drills — A pile of power drills await use on a shelf in the supply room

Tools at the Ready — Tools and parts ready for use in the workshop at Lagoon Cove, British Columbia

Spooled — Spools of wire await use in the electronics shop

Clamps — Clamping the rocker box of a 20″ Obsession

Do Not Operate — An electrician’s tool bag, complete with lockout tag

Loose Screws — Bins full of stainless steel machine screws in the supply room

Fabrication — Tools and drawing lay on the table in the welding shop

Cobbler — Old boots and an older sewing machine in a cobbler’s shop

Tools of the Trade — Tools racked for use at the Kua’āina Saddlery, Waimea

Please Remember to Return Tools — The Nasmyth Deck tool set in the Keck 2 dome

A Scatter of Tools — A scatter of tools just outside the hatch, working on one of the large shutter drive motors atop the Keck 1 dome

Crimping Tools — A drawer full of specialized crimping tools await use

Machining the Mirror Cell — Machining the mirror cell from a piece of scuba tank

Sockets — A drawer full of sockets in a summit toolbox

Rusted Hardware — The rusted hardware removed from a 20″ Obsession telescope

Circuit Board — A circuit board with surface mount components

A Solo Messier Marathon

Yeah, I did another Messier marathon, You know, that crazy exercise where you attempt to find all 110 Messier objects in a single night. A bit crazy, but also rather addicting. I am a somewhat of a purist, I use no computerized telescope, just a chart, a Telrad, and my knowledge of the night sky. This makes a Messier marathon a real challenge.

The Clouds at Sunset — A few clouds wandering across the western horizon, some near, some far. At least there is some blue sky!

I had invited a few other folks to join me at the Kaʻohe observing site on the side of Mauna Kea. A few other observers had indicated they would be there, I even had a DLNR permit for a small group to join me and a few extra checklists printed out. It was the clouds that convinced the others not to make the attempt. Thus, in the end I had the night to myself. Mostly.

Even if the clouds spoiled the event there was not much to risk. May as well pack up and drive to the site, as the organizer I pretty much had to be there in case any of the others responded to my invitation. This outing would not take much preparation, a cooler packed with munchies and drinks to get me through the night and one of my smaller telescopes. There is not much question as to which telescope I will use… Primero, my 6″ RFT and the veteran of many Messier marathons. it is this instrument with which I achieved my one perfect 110 score at the All Arizona Messier Marathon many years ago.

Continue reading “A Solo Messier Marathon”

MIlky Way Arching over Hualālai

My first attempt at a proper Milky Way arch photograph. Not easy to stitch properly, but worth the effort! Click on the image for a file size large enough to properly enjoy…

March 8, 2016 Solar Eclipse from Kawaihae

The seeing was terrible, but at least we could see the Sun while much of the island was overcast and raining. I had hoped to set up in the parking lot for Puʻukohala Heiau but arrived a few minutes after they closed the gate. Instead I set up just below at Spencer Beach park.

Of course the telescope drew a crowd of folks who wanted a look. No matter, an eclipse is a slow motion affair with plenty of time to share the eyepiece. I showed my guests how to take photos with their cell phones at the eyepiece, so everyone got a photo or three of the event.

March 8th, 2016 Solar Eclipse — The solar eclipse of March 8th, 2016 taken from Spencer Beach State Park. Celestron C8 with a Canon 6D at cassegrain focus, 2000mm focal length

New Moon

Young Moon — 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 sunset

New Moon will occur today at 15:45HST.

This new moon will feature a total solar eclipse that sweeps from Indonesia across the central Pacific. It will be visible as a deep 50% plus eclipse in Hawaii.

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Solar Eclipse Reminder

Partial Solar Eclipse — A partial solar eclipse from Kawaihae, 9 May 2013

Just a reminder that later today there will be a solar eclipse. This is a total with the path of totality passing north of the main Hawaiian Islands near Midway. For the Big Island this will be a deep partial, about 55%.

Solar Eclipse Data for March 8th, 2016
	Mag	Begin	Max	End
Hilo	55%	16:37	17:37	18:32
Honolulu	63%	16:33	17:36	18:33
Lihue	67%	16:31	17:35	18:33
Kahului	60%	16:35	17:37	18:33
Kona	56%	16:36	17:37	18:32
Mauna Kea	56%	16:37	17:37	18:32
Midway Is	97%	16:04	17:20	18:29

All times HST
Source: EclipseWise Interactive Map