We have been lucky in the islands lately when it comes to total lunareclipses. A series of total eclipses have been visible from start to end from our vantage point in the middle of the Pacific. There is an average of one eclipse visible per year from any given place, but that is an average, you can go several years without an opportunity. Both 2012 and 2014 have given us two good eclipses and 2015 provides one.
The sum of 699 exposures taken through the lunar eclipse of Apr 4, 2015This eclipse would be a bit different however… Overall the eclipse lasted as long as is normal for a lunar eclipse, about three and a half hours. It was the total phase that was unusually short for this particular eclipse. It was only about four minutes that the moon would be entirely within the umbra, the darkest part of the Earth’s shadow. This usually lasts about an hour. The umbral magnitude of this eclipse was 1.0008, just barely over the threshold of one that designates a total lunar eclipse.
On Friday I did a quick interview with a reporter from the West Hawaii, Today, our local newspaper. He was looking for a little more information on the eclipse and a somewhat more local angle than a wire article on this eclipse. I chatted for a while, and got written up in the article…
With all of the emotion being expressed over telescopes on the mountain this week, just a reminder of why Mauna Kea is the perfect place from which to look to the heavens…
Looking over a snow covered Puʻu Hau Kea to Mauna Loa, a bright meteor is visible, as is the GMD laser, Canon 6D and Samyang 14mm f/2.8 lens, 30s at ISO6400
The total lunar eclipse on Apr 14, 2014, Canon 6D on 90mm f/12 APOEarly tomorrow morning a total lunar eclipse will be visible across the Pacific. Sky watchers in Hawaiʻi will be able to observe this event from beginning to end.
Far from the palm tree lined beaches and the coral reefs that the islands are famous for. Maybe not what most folks think of when they envision Hawaii, but no less beautiful…
Parked at the end of the R-2 road, high on the side of Mauna Kea
Another weekend, another puʻu… So last week I climbed the wrong puʻu. This weekend I climbed the right puʻu.
Puʻu Kole as seen from upslope across the aʻa lava fieldThe goal was to explore a pretty landmark I had looked at from the summit road so many times, Puʻu Kole. In the late afternoon light this cinder cone becomes a brilliant shade of red, a striking feature in an already impressive view.
Reaching this hill one travels a couple miles down the R-1 road, the Ka Aliali Trail. A couple of miles of 4WD road to bounce over. The road is not that bad, but I would recommend a true 4WD vehicle. DLNR requires a 4WD vehicle based on the signs, not that everyone reads the signage at the start of the road.
Unlike last weekend there was no heavy fog to obscure the landscape as I reached the area. My goal was obvious… the big red puʻu just downslope from the road. There is a short secondary road, signed R-2 that leads into the area between the two hills. After about a quarter mile this road fades at the edge of an aʻa flow. After parking I got out and sat on a rock outcropping for a while with a snack. The area is just pretty, the jagged black lava and native plants. I finished a bag of chips, downed a water bottle and simply enjoyed the view.
Puʻu Kole is notably harder to ascend than Puʻu Palaolelo. I suspected I was on the wrong puʻu last weekend when it was too easy, reaching the top after a quick stroll in the fog. Puʻu Kole is nearly twice as high, as least when approaching from the upslope side.
Puako is a very popular place with divers and sea turtles. No surprise, it is a really great reef here. Patti and Mark spent a day with the turtles recently, and Mark has produced another video…
Engine trouble. Bad enough that the boat has spent a couple months on shore, one engine replaced and the other rebuilt. Thus it has been a while since I have been out diving, since late October! Had the weather been better shore diving may have been a higher priority. The winter weather has been rough, with high surf warnings a common item in the morning news.
One of the many entries to the cave at PentagonSince the gear had sat for several months the first order of business was a good checkout of everything. The tanks only had a few hundred pounds of pressure in them, but enough to check the regulators and computer. The valves and buoyancy bladder in the BCD held pressure. I did need a new mask strap, solved with a trip down the hill to the Blue Wilderness shop. Purchasing two, one for the mask, one for the spares kit. Both of the tanks are due visual inspection, need to get that taken care of.
Arriving in the Makalawena area we found a dozen boats milling about. Only one thing would attract that may boats… Dolphins. The shallow water here is a good place to find dolphins and whales. Sure enough, there were dozens of dolphins about and pods of humans snorkeling between the boats in an attempt to see the dolphins in the water. The dolphins seemed intrigued by the boats and swimmers. A group came over to check us out and surf in our wake.
