A Darker View

Waimea Christmas Parade 2013

I may miss some of the events here in town, but I have yet to miss a Waimea Christmas Parade. This year was no exception, I always help out at the CFHT star party afterwards.

The difference this year is that I walked with the Keck float. Actually our parade committee came to me and asked me to take photos, oh… and here is a release form to sign.

Of course this is a lighted parade, not wanting to look out of place I spent the morning soldering and put together a flashing LED hatband for my good cowboy hat. It came out well considering it was put together with what I had lying about. It helped that Deb whipped together a nice band from from nylon webbing to build it on.

As usual the crowd was stunning, half the island shows up for these things. The main street of Waimea is lined ten people deep from end to end, sometimes more than that! Everyone is waving at folks they know in the parade, a true community event.

Keck Float — The Keck float proceeds down main street

Narration — Keck ohana Julia and Joe narrate the parade and have way too much fun.

Spectators — An atmosphere of pure fun pervades the whole event!

Riding in the Parade — Keiki riding in a truck during the Waimea Christmas Parade

Trucks! — Lighted trucks coming down main street Waimea in the annual Christmas Parade

Murk Out

Not a good day to go snorkeling.

Heavy surf the day before left a legacy, murky water. Visibility was rather poor today. Whenever the surf is high the visibility is low. The surfers may be happy, the divers and snorkelers less so. At least these conditions are not all that common, if a somewhat more so in the winter months. Wait a few days and the silt will settle, leaving the more usual clear Kona side water.

At least we had a good swim.

Murk Out — Heavy surf the day before leaves murky water and poor snorkeling conditions.

Mercury Exits the Dawn Sky

Mercury is sliding into the light of dawn this week. Currently about 10° elevation at sunrise, the planet will disappear into the Sun’s glare over the next few days. It will pass through superior conjunction on December 28th, to reappear for the first evening apparition of 2014 around the middle of January.

Warhawk

Zero

Geminid Meteor Shower

The annual Geminid meteor shower has become one of the most reliable annual meteor showers. First observed over 150 years ago this is a interesting meteor shower. The parent body for the Geminids is not a comet, but rather the asteroid 3200 Phaethon. It is somewhat of a mystery how this mostly rocky body gives rise to the debris stream needed to generate a meteor shower.

Leonids in Orion — A pair of Leonid meteors streak through Orion

The shower peak is predicted for December 14th, at 05:45UT (13Dec 19:45HST). For viewers in the central Pacific this favors the evening of Dec 13th into the morning of Dec 14th, starting around 8pm as Gemini rises in the east.

While the 2013 Geminids are expected to just as numerous as usual, viewing will be hampered by a bright Moon in the sky. Full Moon occurs on the 16th, placing peak just a few days before full. This puts a big, bright Moon in the sky for much of the night. Certainly the brighter fireballs will be easily visible, but the dim meteors will be lost to the moonlight. A dedicated observer might make use of the small window of time between moonset at 5:24am and sunrise about 06:50am on the morning of the 14th.

Watching meteors requires no more equipment than your eyes and a dark sky, and can be enjoyable for just about anyone.