Starry Heavens Newsletter
March 2015
Sun, Earth & Moon on the March
A big MAHALO to all who participated in last month's special events--both the Valentine's Day show and The Enchanted Reef premiere were huge successes (see our posted photos on our
Facebook page). We love to celebrate and mix it up with science and fun so watch for more special programs at the Imaginarium in the future!
* * * * *
Time does
march on, though, doesn't it? Though despite my attempt at being clever, this month really isn't named after the verb. March is derived from the name of the Roman god of war, Mars.
It is unclear why certain names were given to different months (although September through December are rooted from the Latin words for 7 through 10, corresponding to their place in the 10-month calendar at the time). The calendar we use today has its beginnings in the ancient Roman culture over 2,060 years ago.
One account of the naming of March explains that war was usually halted during the bitter cold season of winter and fighting resumed as the days warmed--thus the connection between war the change of seasons. Since the Vernal Equinox is on March 20, that reasoning has a certain logic to it. This day is marked by the Sun's apparent path from the south to the north, astronomically marking the first day of spring and heralding the promise of summer.
Here in Hawaii it's sometimes easy to forget how important this period is to a lot of folks as we don't experience the extremes of the seasons. We live in the tropics, in the region where differences in temperature between summer and winter months are moderate.
In the days before central heating and snowplows, weather played a much more important role in survival for those living in more extreme regions. Ancient people gathered their information from real-time and intensive observation, a practice they took very seriously.
The seasons, they noticed, were directly connected to the sky above them--specifically the positions of the Sun, Moon and the stars. The Moon could be depended on to count the days and months that progressed, and combined with knowledge of the Sun and stars they could plan upcoming activities. If you were a navigator on a Polynesian voyaging canoe in the middle of the Pacific, or a farmer growing crops to feed your family, this knowledge could be a matter of life and death. (As a side note, Mars was also known as the Roman guardian of agriculture as well, and spring is the planting season in the northern hemisphere).
The accumulated wisdom by the ancient people from their patient observation and deduction is...astronomical! Nowadays, we just consult our favorite search engines on hand held devices for answers. The other day someone pointed out that he already had a remarkable app on his smartphone that you just pointed at the sky for stellar information.
But the significance of that information cannot be conveyed through a database. Interpretation of the sky and the natural environment around us should be experienced and appreciated. This is what we try to communicate to our students and audiences at the Hokulani Imaginarium with our programs. All of our programs are educational as well as entertaining (with the exception of our music shows, Led Zeppelin and Sounds of the Underground, which are purely entertainment).
We hope that you will experience our enthusiasm for the universe with us this season!
March Schedule
Below is the schedule for the month: more information on programs and updates to our schedule are posted on our
website or our
Facebook page.
Wednesday, Mar. 11– 7:00pm
Stargazing (Live program in the Imaginarium with Krissie Kellogg.)
Saturday, Mar. 21 – 2:00pm*
Perfect Little Planet*
Saturday, Mar. 21 – 3:00pm*
Kaluokahina: The Enchanted Reef *
*NOTE: tickets for each show sold separately
Friday, Mar. 27 – 7:00pm (Double Date Night)+
Dream to Fly
Friday, Mar. 27 – 8:15pm (Double Date Night)+
Sounds of the Underground
+ NOTE: tickets for each show sold separately
Call (808) 235-7433 for reservations.
You may find more details regarding these programs on our
website, or call the Imaginarium office at (808) 235-7350.
Or follow Imaginarium news via
our Facebook posts.
* * * * *
As always, we welcome your feedback or questions, or if you would like more information regarding our
Adopt-a-Show sponsorship. Please feel free to phone or e-mail us at the contacts provided at the end of this newsletter.
Reservations
Due to limited seating, we recommend making reservations for our programs.
Call (808) 235-7433 between 8am-4pm, Monday-Friday.
(Reservation phone line is not available on weekends.)
Please note: Credit and debit cards are not accepted at the box office. An ATM is located on campus behind the Imaginarium building, next to The Hub coffeeshop.
Please arrive at the Imaginarium at least 30 minutes before showtime. Reserved tickets must be picked up at the Imaginarium box office
at least 15 minutes prior to start of program. Unclaimed tickets are released for sale to walk-in customers on a first come, first served basis.
Aloha,
Carolyn Kaichi, Imaginarium Manager
(808) 235-7350
kaichic@hawaii.edu
