Storm clouds from Iselle and Julio may have stolen the spotlight from last month’s "supermoon," when the moon made its closest approach to Earth this year, but this week brings one final opportunity to witness the phenomenon before the end of 2014.
When the supermoon rises around sunset Monday, it will also be a harvest moon — the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox, which is Sept. 23 this year. Enjoy the last of the summer supermoons as we share our love of all things moon.
Retired chief justice’s lighter side shines
Over the course of nearly 50 years in the legal field, Ronald Moon frequently weighed in on serious issues that affected Hawaii — from same-sex marriage to the Superferry. But since he retired in 2010, the former Hawaii Supreme Court chief justice said he’s embraced a different philosophy: humor.
"It’s a matter of looking at things at a more humorous level, with more levity," he said, "and not take things so seriously."
Consider it sage advice from one of Hawaii’s most famous Moons, who at 73 said his retirement years are the best years of life.
It’s not totally out of character for Moon, a man with an easy smile and a firm handshake. During his 17-year tenure as chief justice, people who worked with him learned he enjoyed a hearty laugh.
"I would normally start statements with a humorous anecdote or a joke," he said. "I thought that was a good start to make people more comfortable and a good segue into the more serious." — Mike Gordon
Nibble ‘nummy-nummy’ pies
During Mardi Gras, one of these might bop you in the head.
The Moon Pie is a southern tradition, born in Tennessee as a snack for coal miners. The classic pie is a graham cracker cookie with a layer of marshmallow and a coating of chocolate, although it now comes in banana, peanut butter and vanilla flavors and in an alternate miniature size.
You’re supposed to eat them with an RC Cola — in fact that combination is so beloved that the town of Bell Buckle, Tenn., holds an annual RC Cola and Moon Pie Festival.
They’re thrown off Mardi Gras floats because they are soft enough that they do no harm.
The Moon Pie has its own website, moonpie.com, maintained by Chattanooga Bakery, which introduced the pie in 1917, and from which all this information hails.
In this century, the character of Sheldon on "The Big Bang Theory" is called "Moon Pie" by his grandmother, "because I’m nummy-nummy and she could eat me up." — Betty Shimabukuro
Special cakes are just for pups
Let your canine in on the supermoon celebration with Howl at the Moon cakes by Hawai‘i Doggie Bakery, 2961C E. Manoa Road. The fresh-baked cakes, made from poi, whole-wheat flour, cornmeal and vegetable oil and filled with Okinawan sweet potato, are being offered in a $5 three-pack through Monday in connection with the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival — but your pooch won’t know the difference. Visit hawaiidoggiebakery.org or call 783-7390. Katsumi, a shiba inu, is ready to chow down. — Nina Wu
Follow phases in Hawaiian tradition
For Hawaiians, the phases of the moon, or mahina, were a guide for fishing, farming and daily activities, based on generations of close observations.
Every phase of the moon (30 in all) has a different name, starting with Hilo, the first appearance of the new crescent moon. Akua is the first night when the moon is perfectly full. Muku is the end of the moon cycle.
Kalei Nu‘uhiwa, a practitioner of papahulilani, which includes the traditional Hawaiian study of the atmosphere, its function and cycles, has offered presentations on mahina at Bishop Museum and the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
Read her observations at www.kaleinuuhiwa.com.
Find Hawaiian moon calendars at Native Books/Na Mea Hawai‘i in Ward Warehouse, 1050 Ala Moana Blvd.
Kamehameha Publishing’s 2014 moon calendar, Ke Ala o ka Mahina ($14.95), is available online at www.kamehamehapublishing.org/ multimedia/apps/mooncalendar. The Year 2014 Ancient Hawaiian Moon Calendar Related to Fishing and Farming ($15.95) by the Prince Kuhio Hawaiian Civic Club is divided into dry and wet seasons with a list of what grows well during each phase. It is available at www.pkhcc.com/calendar_moon.html. — Nina Wu
Beloved cartoon superhero returns
For many girls like myself who grew up in the ’90s, "Sailor Moon" will forever be a favorite bit of nostalgia. I remember waking up early each morning to watch the English-dubbed version of the Japanese anime before heading off to school.
Now Sailor Moon and the rest of the Sailor Soldiers are back with the reboot "Sailor Moon Crystal," which essentially tells the same tale as the original series but is intended to stay closer to the original manga by Naoko Takeuchi. In the series, a young and clumsy girl, Usagi, discovers she is in fact Sailor Moon, a superhero who "in the name of the moon" punishes evildoers. With the help of her fellow Sailor friends, her talking cat Luna and the mysterious Tuxedo Mask, Sailor Moon must save the world from the evil Queen Beryl.
So far after watching four episodes, there seems to be only small differences between the original and new series — more modern music choices, sharper animation and a nicer Rei (Sailor Mars) — and I’ve loved every second of it. A new episode in the planned 26-episode run debuts on Hulu every first and third Saturday of the month, with Episode 6 up next on Sept. 20. The shows are in Japanese with English subtitles, with Kotono Mitsuishi reprising her role as Usagi/Sailor Moon. — Stefanie Nakasone
Lanai Lookout is prime spot for nighttime viewing
The moon looks even bigger when it’s just above the horizon — even if it is an optical illusion. And an ideal place to watch the moonrise on the east side of Oahu is Lanai Lookout along Highway 72 south of Sandy Beach, where you’re far away from streetlights and residences and the sky is that much more vivid.
On clear nights, the stars above will dim as moonrise approaches, and the moon’s glow will become visible at the horizon. It’s a beautiful sight!
The moon will rise at 6:35 p.m. on Monday at 92 degrees — 2 degrees south of due east on a 360-degree scale. With sunset just a few minutes later at 6:41 p.m, lingering daylight may affect visibility. For a brighter view of the stars and glow on the horizon, consider looking out on Tuesday, when moonrise will occur later at 7:22 p.m., at 87 degrees. — Elizabeth Kieszkowski
