Using the stars to make landfall
This month we focus on the third and final skill set essential for celestial navigation. After orienting the canoe and determining the canoe’s position at sea, the final challenge becomes making landfall. Read more
Skywatch
Navigating by stars and nature’s clues
To navigate the seas using only the stars and other clues from nature, one needs to learn three essential functions: orienting the canoe, determining the canoe’s position at sea and making landfall. Read more
Hawaiian navigation, space exploration led the way in 2017
From the completion of the epic voyage of the Hokule‘a to the naming of an asteroid detected from Hawaii, and the latest findings of gravitational waves in space, 2017 has been an exciting year for astronomical explorations on Earth and in space. Read more
Meteor shower coupled with supermoon to light December night sky
Mastering any skill takes passion and a commitment of time. Once achieved, a skill can last a lifetime of practice, but it is accessible only to the master unless it is passed on to others. Read more
Using the star compass in oceanic wayfinding
The beauty of the Star Compass is its natural symmetry and reflective quality, allowing the navigator to use nature’s clues to determine direction. Read more
Sun and stars’ daily trek form Hawaiian compass
The recent completion of the three-year Malama Honua Worldwide Voyage by the voyaging canoe Hokule‘a underscores the timeless relevance of this indigenous system of celestial navigation. Read more
Eager star-gazers abound in islands
Aloha everybody! This will be my final Skywatch article. I am delighted, and a little wistful, to announce that I have accepted a position at the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, N.J., across from lower Manhattan. Read more
Isles will get partial view of Aug. 21 solar eclipse
For the United States, the biggest astronomy story for 2017 is the total eclipse of the sun that occurs over much of the continental U.S. on Aug. 21. Read more
‘Cruel sun’ at noon comes back in July
While we lose the Southern Cross from the Hawaiian Islands by the time July starts, the month does provide a last chance to catch the brilliant stars Alpha and Beta Centauri, the best summertime stars we see in Hawaii and which are not visible from most of the United States. Read more
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Jupiter and Saturn take prime spots in June sky
This June provides a great chance to see the solar system’s biggest planets, Jupiter and Saturn, throughout most of the evening. Read more
Lahaina Noon will strike isles next month
In the tropics, the sun passes overhead twice during the year. On these two days, the sun will be exactly overhead at midday and an upright object such as a flagpole will have no shadow. Read more
Constellations, planets, Lyrids show off in April
April is always a good time to spot most of the famous constellations in one night in the islands. April has the added bonus of being able to catch all five of the naked-eye planets for at least part of the month. Read more
Brightest planets to take turns illuminating March
All five naked-eye planets are visible in March, and there is at least one planet visible at any time through the night. Read more
Venus, Mars and Jupiter continue to light the sky
The planets continue to put on a good show this February. The Big Dipper returns to our evening skies, as it does every winter, and the Southern Cross brightens the predawn sky. Read more
Isles in good spot for viewing the year’s first shooting stars
The Quadrantid meteor shower, the first meteor shower of 2017, happens in the hours before dawn on Jan. 3. Read more
December’s full moon to be a little less ‘super’
The “super” full moon of Nov. 13-14 was in fact the closest full moon since 1948. While the full moon of Dec. 13 is still referred to as a supermoon, it’s barely in the club. Read more
Stunning ‘supermoon’ will light up November
We will have the biggest, brightest full moon in decades in November. We also lose Saturn and regain Mercury in November as Venus and Mars, opposites in myth, behave in a similar, steady manner. Read more
Venus will brighten the sky at dusk all through October
Venus is that blazing light you see in the western sky at dusk throughout October, outshining all other points of light in the sky. Read more
August glitters with ‘star’ shower, planet powwow
This August features a gathering of planets just above the sun at dusk, and the return of the most famous meteor shower. Read more
5 planets are back in view over the islands next month
In July we are able to see all five “naked eye” planets, a mere six months after the last time this happened. Read more
3 planets will brighten isles’ night sky in June
Sky watching will be very good in the islands in June. A trio of bright planets is visible in the evening sky, including Mars, which remains unusually bright throughout the month. Jupiter and Saturn are clearly visible from the midevening sky as well. Read more
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