Manaiakalani, the Chief’s Fishline, is the third of our four star families and is prominent in the sky for the summer months of July, August and September. It follows our spring star family, Kaiwikuamo‘o, the Backbone, and our winter star family, Kekaomakali‘i, the Bailer of Makali‘i, and precedes our fall star family, Kalupeakawelo, the Kite of Kawelo.
Rising in the Koolau quadrant in the northeast section of our star compass are three stars from three different constellations that form Kahuinakoluokaho‘okele, the Navigator’s Triangle. Pira‘etea, Deneb, the tail of Cygnus the Swan; Keoe, Vega, in Lyra the Harp; and Humu, Altair, in Aquila the Eagle. These three stars metaphorically portray a coil of fishing line resting in the hull of a canoe.
The fishing line spools from the Koolau quadrant in the northeast to the Malanai quadrant in the southeast and attaches itself to the top of Kamakaunuiomaui, Maui’s Fishhook, or Scorpio in Greek mythology.
Kamakaunuiomaui is identifiable as an obviously fishhook-shaped constellation with two stars that resemble a barb, Namaka, at the end of the hook. Toward the top of the fishhook is a ruby-red star, Lehuakona, Antares, the heart of the Scorpion and the 16th-brightest star in the night sky.
Swimming next to the barb of Kamakaunuiomaui is Pimoe, Sagittarius, a large ulua or the celestial giant trevally, a member of the jack family. Manaiakalani is metaphorically seen as a coil of fishing line that spools to the top of Kamakaunuiomaui, enticing Pimoe to bite onto the baited barb of the fishhook. In the direction of Pimoe lies the galactic center of the Milky Way galaxy. Our solar system is located on the outer spiral arm of the Milky Way, and the black hole that resides in the center of our galaxy is found by looking in the direction of Sagittarius.
You can use stars in Cygnus the Swan to point toward celestial north, and stars in Scorpio to point toward celestial south. Any two or three stars that pass through the meridian, the imaginary line that runs north-south and directly over your head, at the same time, are considered meridian pointers. When taking an imaginary line through them, meridian points will identify a point on the horizon corresponding to akau, north, or hema, south, on our star compass.
A line through Gienah, the lower wing of Cygnus the Swan, through Pira‘etea points to akau on our star compass. A line through the three stars in the shank of Kamakaunuiomaui points to Hema on our star compass. Knowing how to use meridian pairs for determining direction is one of the many skills needed in a wayfinder’s navigational repertoire.
Special events
In the early evening hours of July 13, Venus and Mars will pass within 1 degree of each other in an event known as a conjunction. Given this close distance, it should be relatively easy to catch both planets in the same field of view with a telescope or pair of binoculars.
Conjunction of the planets was once thought to hold great deals of significance, and, while they aren’t considered to be as important today, these events are quite interesting to witness. In the days leading up to the conjunction, observers can watch the planets get closer and closer to each other.
There is a unique astronomical phenomenon that occurs in Hawaii, as the islands are in the tropics. Fondly known as Lahaina noon, this phenomenon refers to the days when the sun passes exactly overhead during solar noon; at this time objects with smooth sides will appear to cast no shadow.
These events can be observed only in the tropics, and your latitude within the tropics will affect when the Lahaina noon will occur.
In Honolulu, Lahaina noon will occur July 15 at 12:37 p.m. Hilo will not quite have a perfect Lahaina noon, but the sun will be quite close to the center of the sky on July 23 at 12:26 p.m. and on July 24 at 12:26 p.m. Lahaina noon occurs on different days throughout the state due to slight changes in latitude.
Evening observations
As we fully embrace our summer season, the navigational star line of Manaiakalani will rise in the eastern sky in the early evening. Manaiakalani is made up of three main components: Kamakaunuiomaui, Pimoe and the Navigator’s Triangle.
Rising with Manaiakalani will be the spectacular band of the Milky Way, which stretches from the Koolau quadrant over our heads and down to the Kona quadrant in the southwest.
On a clear, dark night with little to no light pollution, you will see this fuzzy band light up the sky. The band could first be mistaken for clouds, but as we look closer, we can clearly see stars in front of it.
We are a part of the Milky Way galaxy, as is every star that we see in the night sky. If you are a stargazer equipped with a pair of binoculars or a telescope, try exploring the rich band of the galaxy.
In Hawaii, midsummer is ideal for viewing the Milky Way as we get a picturesque view of the “bulge” of the galaxy, which will be rising out of the Malanai quadrant. When we look toward this wider and brighter portion of the Milky Way band, we are looking in through the Sagittarius arm of the galaxy and into the central region of the Milky Way itself. It is in this region that researchers, using the observatories at Mauna Kea, are currently studying the supermassive black hole in the center of our galaxy.
In the early evening the faint but distinctive planet Saturn will be chasing the Milky Way as it rises in the Malanai quadrant. Through a good pair of binoculars or a telescope, you will be able to see Saturn’s famous rings.
Morning observations
Early-bird stargazers will enjoy a very different perspective of the night sky.
Through the summer months the sun will rise early and the nights will be shorter. In July the sun will rise just before 6 a.m., and the light of dawn will color our sky starting just before 5:30 a.m.
In the early morning hours, the bright planet Jupiter will be high in the southern sky, and the faint planet Mercury can be found in the east just as the sun rises. Before dawn starts coloring the sky at 5:30 a.m., the notable star cluster known as Makali‘i or the Pleiades will be visible, rising out of the east. Trailing behind this famous open cluster, we can catch the famous shape of Heiheionakeiki, or Orion, rising exactly in the east just before the sun rises.
July 2021 Sky Chart by Honolulu Star-Advertiser
The ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawaii is a center for informal science education at the University of Hawaii at Hilo showcasing astronomy and Hawaiian culture as parallel journeys of human exploration.
