Star Gazing

[helen]

Visiting my dad on Kauai for the Christmas holiday. His place is outside of Lihue, with not too much light pollution, so one can see a good number of stars. I tried on Friday night to check things out. I wasn't keeping time but I did manage to stay out from 9:30 to 10:00 pm on one session and another session from 11:30 pm to about midnight.

While I had a hard time identify the Big Dipper and Polaris I did see a small metor streak going from east to west on the south side, this was around 9:40 to 9:50 pm.

For the 11:30 pm session I noticed a light going from west to east also on the south side. Figured it for a plane but I doubt it, it was a commerical jet coming from the South Pacific going to Honolulu.

[Mahi Waina]

Re: Star Gazing

Anybody from Naalehu? Curious if you can see the southern cross this time of year.

[lavagal]

Re: Star Gazing

Visiting my dad on Kauai for the Christmas holiday. His place is outside of Lihue, with not too much light pollution, so one can see a good number of stars. I tried on Friday night to check things out. I wasn't keeping time but I did manage to stay out from 9:30 to 10:00 pm on one session and another session from 11:30 pm to about midnight.

While I had a hard time identify the Big Dipper and Polaris I did see a small metor streak going from east to west on the south side, this was around 9:40 to 9:50 pm.

For the 11:30 pm session I noticed a light going from west to east also on the south side. Figured it for a plane but I doubt it, it was a commerical jet coming from the South Pacific going to Honolulu.

Here in Hawaii Kai, the Big Dipper and Polaris can be seen if I look straight up, early in the morning. They are the few stars left as the sky begins to lightnen with daybreak. I'm wondering if it's Venus that is so bright in the southwest at Sunset. I read today in the Bishop Museum column in the Advertiser that it's Saturn that's so bright in the morning.

[Menehune Man]

Re: Star Gazing

The Bishop Museum holds a public Planetarium Show and Star Gazing called "The Sky Tonight" on the first Friday of every month. Best to make reservations. Here's a LINK

[Surfingfarmboy]

Re: Star Gazing

Anybody from Naalehu? Curious if you can see the southern cross this time of year.

Being an old farmboy who used to work the land in the Na'alehu area, I was able to familiarize myself with many of the constellations seen in the Northern Hemisphere. I never really got all that good with Southern Hemisphere constellations, which "Crux", a.k.a "The Southern Cross", is part of. But...if I recall, parts of Crux...not all of it though..can be seen in December, in the Northern Hemisphere, as long as you are at least 25 degrees or less north of the equator...obviously the further south you go, the more of it you will see. I'm pretty sure, from anywhere in Hawai'i, Crux can be completely seen in the month of May, in the far southern horizon.

Some good news for those who hate winter, speaking of constellations: A sure sign spring is on it's way: The constellations Corvus and Crater can be viewed from Hawaii (or most of the mainland) if one gets up early enough to see them this time of year. To a farmboy such as myself, the arrival of Corvus and Crater signels that springtime isn't too far off in the future. I remember seeing them for the first time this season, as I ran the Honolulu Marathon on the 11th...both constellations were in clear view, in the southern sky, about the time I made my way up the Diamond Head Cliffs the first time, during the marathon. Seeing these constellations can give people who loathe winter some hope in knowing that spring is really not all that far away!

[Menehune Man]

Re: Star Gazing

At the Bishop Museum...
"The observatory is usually open for night observation on the first Friday evening of every month following the monthly sky program, “The Sky Tonight”.
Call a few days early for reservations!

Here's a http://www.bishopmuseum.org/planetar...anetarium.html

[Jim75]

Re: Star Gazing

I see Orion's Belt all the time, but haven't spotted the Big Dipper. In South Dakota they were in opposite parts of the sky so I suppose I'd have to look from the other side of the house.

I want to go up to Mauna Kea some night. I'll bet it's an explosion of stars. Camping at Devil's Tower in Wyoming is a great place to see stars too. There's no ground light that far out in the country and the number of stars you can see is mind boggling. In fact, I have a photo I took one night of star trails. This was taken by leaving the shutter on my Nikon FM2 open for about 4 hours. There was some faint moonlight in the opposite side of the sky that lit up the tower. Only the really bright stars made trails. There were many, many more. The green cast is a byproduct of the long exposure, but this is the best adjustment I could make. The North Star would be toward the upper right, outside the photo, at the center of the concentric circles.

[Menehune Man]

Re: Star Gazing

That's an incredible photo Jim!
I like it a lot.

[timkona]

Re: Star Gazing

I used to work on Mauna Kea taking folks up and down and teaching them about physics, chemistry, and astronomy. Great job.

There is a book called North Star to Southern Cross that is a must read for anybody with a slight interest in the constellations.

[lavagal]

Re: Star Gazing

Being an old farmboy who used to work the land in the Na'alehu area, I was able to familiarize myself with many of the constellations seen in the Northern Hemisphere. I never really got all that good with Southern Hemisphere constellations, which "Crux", a.k.a "The Southern Cross", is part of. But...if I recall, parts of Crux...not all of it though..can be seen in December, in the Northern Hemisphere, as long as you are at least 25 degrees or less north of the equator...obviously the further south you go, the more of it you will see. I'm pretty sure, from anywhere in Hawai'i, Crux can be completely seen in the month of May, in the far southern horizon.

Some good news for those who hate winter, speaking of constellations: A sure sign spring is on it's way: The constellations Corvus and Crater can be viewed from Hawaii (or most of the mainland) if one gets up early enough to see them this time of year. To a farmboy such as myself, the arrival of Corvus and Crater signels that springtime isn't too far off in the future. I remember seeing them for the first time this season, as I ran the Honolulu Marathon on the 11th...both constellations were in clear view, in the southern sky, about the time I made my way up the Diamond Head Cliffs the first time, during the marathon. Seeing these constellations can give people who loathe winter some hope in knowing that spring is really not all that far away!

I'm an amateur stargazer, absolutely love it. I watch the space station go by and follow its tracking on the NASA website. In the morning I think I see the Southern Cross, does it look like a kite? And the Big Dipper is clearly obvious, as is Orion's belt. But what I've enjoyed most these past few weeks is the grouping of Venus, Saturn and the Moon in the early evening. Lovely. On ocasion I'll see a meteor or a big bird flying in the darkness.

[acousticlady]

Re: Star Gazing

When I was fresh out of grad school and had been at my job for a matter of months, the department chair came in to see me and said "you're teaching Astronomy in the spring" I had absolutely zero background. I was barely aware there were stars in the sky. All I can say is that nothing makes you learn something faster than having to stand up in front of 40 students and come across like you know what you're talking about

Although I rarely teach it any more, it did develop a passion for the "heavens" in me that I never had before. I still don't know one constellation from another, but I can tell you how they work.

[Surfingfarmboy]

Re: Star Gazing

I'm an amateur stargazer, absolutely love it. I watch the space station go by and follow its tracking on the NASA website. In the morning I think I see the Southern Cross, does it look like a kite?

Yes...Crux (Southern Cross) looks like a kite. But again, you need to have a cloudless morning and an unobstructed horizon to see it. I imagine if you look into the sky southward, from Maunalua Bay Beach Park, (even better from South Point in Ka'u) in May, around 9-10 PM, you'd see the constellation in its entirety. Crux, if I recall correctly, has only 4 main stars, arranged in a kite-shaped formation. I don't believe the constellation can be viewed in its entirety this time of year. If you were to get up, say around 5AM tomorrow, I think you might see parts of it, but not all of it. Crux was a constellation I remember seeing in its entirety during late Spring in the evening hours.

[lavagal]

Re: Star Gazing

Yes...Crux (Southern Cross) looks like a kite. But again, you need to have a cloudless morning and an unobstructed horizon to see it. I imagine if you look into the sky southward, from Maunalua Bay Beach Park, (even better from South Point in Ka'u) in May, around 9-10 PM, you'd see the constellation in its entirety. Crux, if I recall correctly, has only 4 main stars, arranged in a kite-shaped formation. I don't believe the constellation can be viewed in its entirety this time of year. If you were to get up, say around 5AM tomorrow, I think you might see parts of it, but not all of it. Crux was a constellation I remember seeing in its entirety during late Spring in the evening hours.

Darlin',, I get up at 330 for that lovely Dawn 24HF routine, LOL! I have a feeling I'm seeing what I want to see. I'd imagine from Koko Crater it would be amazing. Or from the Koko Head trail, which juts into the ocean. Such a lovely place.

[Menehune Man]

Re: Star Gazing

I love when I see the Southern Cross. It 'stands' up in the proper position from Oahu and yes it is waaay down low on the horizon. Kinda magical. IMO

The most spectacular times I've seen it? While I was in Fiji! Very little light pollution from my wife's village (Naimasimasi, Tailevu). The Southern Cross is incredibly large and at the apex (Quick definitions (apex) ▸ noun: the highest point) of the night sky.
Real cool!

[Menehune Man]

Re: Star Gazing

At the Geek Meet...
Plawler had a cool set up.
To look at the sun and moon too!
The best was a gadget that when pointed at the night sky can tell you...
by name alot of what you see and if asked will lead you to where you request!
I can't remember what it's called. Plawler?