Starry Heavens Newsletter
January 2017
Extinct Comet Provides Show
Early on in the month of January 2017 there will be an opportunity to view a meteor shower. Yearly at this time Earth passes through a trail of dust grains left behind from an extinct comet known as
2003 EH1; this occurrence is known as the
Quadrantids meteor shower. Even though the Quadrantids generally have a short peak period of approximately 24 hours we may have a good chance of viewing them in Hawaii this year due to the timing of the meteor peak in the predawn hours of January 3rd, after the moon has set. It is anticipated that the peak of debris from 2003 EH1 will enter Earth’s atmosphere and burn up around 4:00am Hawaii Standard Time on Tuesday the 3rd. As usual for optimum viewing you should make yourself comfortable in an area as far away from light pollution as possible and then scan the northern sky for streaks of light as the meteors burn up in the atmosphere; they should radiate from the area indicated in this illustration exampled from
timeanddate.com.
* * * * *
Show Schedule Released
The Imaginarium has released the line-up of planetarium shows for Spring 2017, encompassing the months of February through June. As usual the subject matter of the 32 showings offered varies in interest from early elementary age to adult fare. You can access the full schedule (and descriptions of individual shows) on the
Imaginarium’s webpage, which is linked from the webpage of the
Center for Aerospace Education.
* * * * *
Real or Fantasy?
The film
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was at the pinnacle of popularity over the 2016 Holiday Season; have you ever wondered how plausible the existence of the fantasy planets depicted in the film might be? Of the 2,000 exoplanets that scientists have confirmed in our Milky Way galaxy they have not been able to determine one that includes a single life form, let alone any life like that depicted in the George Lucas film series. In his article “
8 Planets that make you think Star Wars is real” Pat Brennan looks at similarities that
NASA’s Exoplanet Exploration program has found between 8 known exoplanets and those portrayed in the Star Wars films; the article even includes a link to view some of the
planets in 3D.
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.
* * * * *
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
