Starry Heavens Newsletter
December 2016
In the spirit of the Thanksgiving holiday, which we hope everyone enjoyed on November 24th, we begin this newsletter with a look back at the Imaginarium’s Haunted Village event of October 28th. We’ve received several great pictures that we are thankful for and will share here with you; mahalos go out to everyone who attended and made the 2016 event one of our most highly attended Haunted Villages ever.
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December Skies
Mid-month Earth will be passing through debris from asteroid 3200 Phaethon, which is the origin of the Geminid meteor shower. The peak of the shower will occur around midnight on the 13th, however the moon will be entering its full phase that evening so it will be bright and may limit the viewing of meteors. Don’t be discouraged, make yourself comfortable in a dark area away from city lights, then begin by looking to the east and scanning the sky, you may be able to see some of the brightest meteors as they burn up in our atmosphere.
Also notable this month is the
Winter Solstice (first day of winter) which takes place at approximately 12:45am on the 21st. This astronomical event is related to the tilt of Earth’s axis as it orbits the Sun; the day of the solstice is either the longest or shortest day of the year for locations north or south of the equator. Because Hawaii is located close to the equator the length of daylight or darkness
varies very little.
For more sky information attend the Imaginarium’s monthly
Stargazing presentations conducted by Krissie Kellogg, held on the second Wednesday of each month at 7:00pm, this month on December 14th.
If you would like to plan a few months ahead,
Sky Information for 2017 is now posted on the Center for Aerospace Education webpage.
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Pictured above is a section of the star forming region NGC 2264 in the constellation of the unicorn (Monoceros), which is named Unicorn in honor of numerous references of the mythological creatures in the Old Testament. NGC 2264 is a complex jumble of cosmic gas and dust about 2,700 light-years distant and mixes reddish emission nebulae excited by energetic light from newborn stars with dark interstellar dust clouds. Its cast of cosmic characters includes the Fox Fur Nebula, and the Cone Nebula. The stars of NGC 2264 are also known as the
Christmas Tree star cluster. The triangular tree shape traced by the stars appears sideways here, with its apex at the Cone Nebula and its broader base centered near the bright variable star S Mon.
Monoceros i
s a relatively new constellation, which first appeared on celestial globes in the early 1600s. Monoceros is considered a winter constellation, like its neighbor Orion, because they are both viewed best during winter months. In addition to the Christmas Tree star cluster there are several other objects located in the Monoceros constellation that are associated with the winter season; the
Snowflake and the
Madonna and Child nebulae
. Pictured to the left in a wide view are the locations of the three objects, click on the links above to view close-ups of each.
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A Don't Miss For December
You have two opportunities this month to attend the Imaginarium's annual holiday season show “
Season of Light”; December 17 at 2:00 p.m., and December 23 at 7:00 p.m. Season of Light is a family frie
ndly, visually rich show about the darkest and coldest time of year, winter. The show explains why we experience seasons and traces the origins of many of the world’s most enduring customs from Christmas trees, to the Hanukkah Menorah, to Santa, and the Star of Bethlehem.
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Mars Colonization
If you are intrigued with the possibilities of colonizing our solar system you may enjoy the National Geographic channel’s television mini-series
Mars 
which airs on Monday evenings. Each episode shifts between an imagined year 2033 mission to Mars and documentary interviews with today’s brightest minds involved with science, technology and exploration. The balance examined between research, development, and technology to reach our first attempt at a mission to Mars is very well presented. If you’ve missed the first 3 episodes you can view them on demand online.
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
