When you want to see the stars, find someplace dark
I still have an 8″ solar filter on-hand, leftover from the Meade LX50 I used to have many years ago. A quick inspection to insure it is in usable condition (take no chances with solar filters) and a fit check… It fits the restored C8 perfectly.
Shall we see what the Sun looks like today?
Over-processed! The seeing was atrocious…
It looked horrible! The paint was coming off everywhere with heavily corroded aluminum underneath. Most of the screw heads were small balls of rust, with hopefully enough remaining to fit a screwdriver to and remove. For a precision optical instrument this small telescope was not very encouraging.
The telescope in question is an old orange tube Celestron C8. Thousands of these little telescopes were manufactured in the 70’s and 80’s. It was the C8 that set the standard for amateur telescopes at the time. The C8 is still in production forty years later, but the tubes are no longer painted orange as they were originally. Compact, yet offering decent performance, these telescopes were well regarded and hold a special place in the memories of many amateur astronomers. I have seen these little orange telescopes at dozens of star parties, even bolted to the side of huge professional telescopes for use as finders.
Among the items I found in the NYPL image collection was an 1835 map of the Hawaiian Islands. I included it in the posting on the collection, but the map truly deserves a closer look. It preserves the western view of the islands as of the early 19th century.
The map is reasonably accurate, looking at the coordinates given for key points in the islands shows that they are correctly plotted. The outlines of the islands are mostly familiar. The shapes of Molokai, Maui, and parts of Hawaiʻi do show some odd features that look odd to anyone with a good knowledge of local geography. Any number of points and bays seem exaggerated, note the peninsulas on the north shores of Oahu and Maui. Notably Kealakekua bay is drawn as much more sheltered than it really is, an odd inaccuracy in a maritime map.
Continuing inspection reveals a number of other oddities… There are two islands marked on the map south of Niʻihau, named Tahoora and Papappa. Modern navigation maps mark only one island here, Kaʻula. Tahoora (Kaʻula) was spotted by the Cook expedition and recorded with that name. Reference to Papappa can be found in the 1870 Seaman’s Guide to the Islands of the North Pacific, Part II, W. H. Rosser. Apparently local fisherman reported another island south of Kaʻula. A number of ships looked for such an island in vain. The guide lists its existence as “doubtful”.
It is also interesting to note that the coordinate system used is referenced to Greenwich. Thus the longitudes marked at the bottom match those found on modern maps. At the time the prime meridian, the location of zero longitude, was hotly contested between several possible locations. It was not until the 1884 International Meridian Conference that Greenwich became the accepted standard worldwide. This was over the objections of the French who abstained from the vote and continued to use the Paris meridian until 1911.
Of course it is the place names that are the most fascinating feature of the map. Setting aside the Dutch vocabulary and looking just at the transcriptions of the Hawaiian place names one sees familiar names as they were used two centuries ago.
Looking about the map one will note Owhyhee in place of the modern Hawaiʻi, Mowee and Woahoo as the old versions of Maui and Oaho, quite recognizable. If you have read the old accounts you may recognize Atooi as the island of Kauai. We also see Mowna Kaah printed on the map for present day Mauna Kea, similar to the Mauna Kaah found in the Cook expedition journals as the first written version of the mountain’s name.
| Map Name | Current Name |
|---|---|
| Atooi | Kauai |
| Honoruru | Honolulu |
| Karakakooa | Kealakekua |
| Mowna Kaah | Mauna Kea |
| Mowna Worroray | Hualālai |
| Mowna Roa | Mauna Loa |
| Morokinne | Molokini |
| Morotoi | Molokai |
| Mowee | Maui |
| Oneeheow | Niʻihau |
| Oreehoua | Lehua |
| Owyhee | Hawai’i |
| Ranai | Lanai |
| Tahoora | Kaʻula |
| Tahoorowa | Kahoʻolawe |
| Woahoo | Oahu |
Well? How else do you explain three simultaneous brush fires spread out along several miles of highway? This happened a few times about six years ago.
This is this afternoon along the Mamalahoa Highway and the new Saddle Road just above Waikoloa. Just got the text message of the road closure.
The confirmation of gravitational waves is simply a huge moment for science. A lot of people have spent their lives building instruments in hope for this day. From one who maintains another great scientific instrument to those who built LIGO… Congratulations!!
Not to understate the magnitude of the achievement, this is a huge discovery, but as usual XKCD puts a fun spin on the moment…
On March 9, 2016 a total solar eclipse will sweep across Indonesia and into the central Pacific. This will be an late afternoon eclipse, with maximum occurring just before sunset at around 17:37 HST (5:37pm HST).
Note, you might be confused by some references that state the eclipse occurs on March 9th. It does occur on the 9th! For our islands greatest eclipse occurs around 03:30 on March 9th universal time. If we convert to Hawaiian Standard Time this will be the 17:30 (5:30pm) on the afternoon of March 8th. You must remember that universal time is ten hours ahead of Hawaiian Standard Time.
A deep partial can be very interesting. Even people not expecting the eclipse may notice a dimming of the Sun and an odd, subdued nature to the sunlight. Even a quick glimpse of the Sun will reveal that half of the disk is covered. Eclipse glasses or a welding filter will provide a nice image of a partially eclipsed Sun. Tree leaves and other makeshift pinhole cameras will show crescent images of the Sun on the ground. For best viewing a small telescope with a solar filter, or a pinhole camera will allow excellent images of the eclipse. My standard eclipse viewing setup is a 76mm refractor with a Baader film solar filter. I assembled this gear for the 2012 Venus transit and it has seen several eclipses since.
| 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 | ||||
As you can see the magnitude of the eclipse increases notably the closer you are (further north in the main islands) to the path of totality. The timing does not vary by nearly as much, with maximum eclipse occurring around 17:36 for the islands.
If you would like to see precise information for your location, or for someplace other than the islands, just use the interactive map and click on your location for data.
There are no further solar eclipses near the Hawaiian islands until 2031 and 2035, the path of totality for both of which pass well south of the main islands. There is also an annular eclipse in 2024, for which the center line also passes well south of the islands.
You have heard it before, but it really is true! Looking at the Sun for longer than a few brief moments with an unprotected eye can lead to permanent damage. Looking at the Sun with any sort of optical deceive that has not been properly filtered can lead to instantaneous eye damage.
Discussed below are the only safe methods I am aware of to view the Sun. There are some dodgy methods out there. Take chance with your irreplaceable eyesight? I think not. Be careful and do it right if you want a look.
For the unaided eye there are a couple options to view the Sun safely…
Continue reading “Safe Solar Viewing”