Starry Heavens Newsletter
October 2016
October at the Imaginarium is all about the village, the
Haunted Village that is, which will materialize on the grounds surrounding the planetarium and Hale Imiloa on the evening of
Friday, October 28. The village comes alive at
6:00 p.m.,
free of charge, where the brave of heart of any age may safely encounter ghosts, goblins, monsters, mutants, medieval Knights, along with all variety of fantasy and undead souls roaming freely
until 8:30 p.m. So leave your fears and phobias behind when you join in the frighteningly fiendish family-friendly activities that include:
"Nightwalk" Show
A virtual tour where you’ll walk at the speed of fright! The 15-minute show features the 3D, animated magic of the Imaginarium. Shows every 20 minutes from 6:00–8:00 p.m. No reservations needed.
Tickets are $4 per “soul” and sold at the Box Office on night of the event only.
Haunted Village Commons
Graveyard, torch lights, gargantuan inflatables, illuminary walkways and spooky scenes. FREE
Dr. Phrankenstein’s Phantom Physics Lab
Explore the science of magic and illusions with hands-on activities and optical demonstrations. FREE
The Paliku Players
Join "way-out” WCC theater students in mischief and antics ... they’ll leave you breathless. FREE
Knightly Combat
Watch members of the Society for Creative Anachronism battle in full Knightly armor. FREE
Face Painting
Don't have a costume? Have one drawn. A fundraiser for Phi Theta Kappa. DONATION
It's Alive: 200 Years of Frankenstein
Celebrate author Mary Shelley’s hideous but loveable monster viewing "creation scenes" from popular horror films of the past. FREE
Halloween Light Show Theater
Relax a spell in the Village's eerie Outdoor Light Show Theater. FREE
Spooky Storytelling Corner
Gather for chicken skin and goose bumps listening to hair-raising funny, scary, tales delivered by our spooky Storyteller. FREE
Costume Contest
Dress up to win prizes in three categories: cutest, scariest and most creative. Three prizes will be awarded in four age groups; judging from 6:15 to 7:45 pm. Awards ceremony from 7:45 to 8:00 p.m. FREE, plus candy for all in costume.
The Wizards of Alchemy
Village's lab assistants go amock with smoke-filled chemistry demonstrations; presented by the WCC Chemistry Club. FREE
Pumpkin Carving Display
Visit the display of award-winning Jack-o'-Lanterns, crafted by the Village people ... bring your own, if you dare. FREE
Phantom Food Booth
Enjoy a Friday night eating adventure at the Village Cafe o' Terror. Spam musubi, hot dogs, teriburgers, drinks and other delicious morsel treats for mortals. Prices vary.
Hansel & Gretel’s Bakery
Drop in to try the WCC Debate Club’s oven …… oops, oven-baked goods. Prices vary.
Jack (the Ripper) O'Lantern's Movie Corner
A cutting edge cinema for those who feast on carving pumpkins. FREE
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Celestial Happenings
There are several notable occurrences to watch for in the skies over Hawaii during October.
The
Orionid meteor shower will be active
October 14th to 25th, with
peak taking place on the night of the 20th and morning of the 21st. This annual event is caused as the Earth enters into debris left over from Halley’s comet. We will experience a fairly bright waning gibbous moon during the peak nights this year so visibility may be limited to 20-25 meteors per hour. As usual with meteor showers, the prime viewing time would be around midnight. Find a dark location away from lights, make yourself comfortable, recline and scan the sky for sightings.
On the morning of
Tuesday the 11th the planets
Mercury and Jupiter will be in conjunction with each other; appearing about
1° apart. By 5:45 a.m. Mercury and Jupiter will be high enough on the eastern horizon to be visible. Sunrise occurs at 6:26 a.m. Thus, the conjunction can be viewed - weather permitting - for at least 25-30 minutes.
Lastly we will experience a
Supermoon the night of the
16th. So what exactly is a Supermoon? This is a relatively new term used when two things occur simultaneously; first the moon is full, and second the moon’s elliptical orbit around Earth brings its path closest to our planet (in other terms the moon is at
perigee). The moon will be full and appear larger than normal due to its closeness, thus a Supermoon.
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In keeping with the eerie spirit of October we share with you IC2118 – The Witch Head Nebula. Found in the constellation of Eridanus, it is a very large irregular cloud of dust and gas lying 2.6° to the west of Rigel in Orion. Rigel, visible to the upper right of this image, is a blue supergiant, 800 light years distant. The blueish cast of the image comes from both the light reflected from Rigel and the fact that the dust particles that comprise the nebula reflect blue light more efficiently than red. The origin of IC2118 is not exactly known, it is believed to be an ancient supernova remnant.
Reservations Suggested
Due to limited seating of 84 attendees in the Imaginarium, we recommend making reservations for our programs. Call (808) 235-7433 between 8:30am - 3:30pm, Monday - Friday. Reservation phone line is not available on weekends or holidays.
Our admission prices are:
- $7 General admission
- $6 WCC students, military, seniors (65 years or older), with ID
- $5 Children (ages 4-12 years)
- Free for children under 4 years of age (1 per paying adult), and WCC faculty or staff with university ID
CASH & CHECK ONLY. An ATM is located on campus behind the Imaginarium building, next to The Hub coffee shop.
Please pick up and pay for reserved tickets at the Imaginarium Box Office at least 15 minutes prior to showtime. Unclaimed tickets may be sold to waiting customers on a first come, first served basis.
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As always, we welcome your feedback or questions, feel free to phone (808) 235-7350 or email to wiss@hawaii.edu. If you would like information regarding our
Adopt-a-Show sponsorship program please
click here.
Larry Wiss
Manager, Hōkūlani Imaginarium
Windward Community College
Hale Imiloa 135A
Office (808) 235-7350
