Two new shows premiere at Hokulani Imaginarium

"Totality" debuts Saturday March 23, at 2:15 p.m. and is a double feature with our ever-popular "Two Small Pieces of Glass".  Totality is all about eclipses from lunar to total solar and covers how they occur and what happens when they do. Amazingly, the show explains Einstein's theory of General Relativity in an incredibly understandable way for everyone. This show looks forward to upcoming eclipses and where to witness them. The production includes a variety of styles from spectacular space environments to humorous pop-up books.
             

Another Premiere occurs Friday, April 5, at 7:00p.m. - Phantom of the Universe – The Search for Dark Matter. From the journey of protons racing through the world’s largest particle collider in Europe to up-close views of the Big Bang and emergent universe, and the nearly mile-deep descent to an underground experiment in South Dakota, Hokulani Imaginarium has scored a major new offering with this acquisition. Please be sure to put it on your calendar.

We look forward to seeing you at the Imaginarium for these premieres.
What about that Super Full Moon February 19!?

I hope you were able to see it. We’ve had two super full moons back to back in January and February. If you did not see these two, you have one more chance March 20. Moonrise for the smallest of the three back to back supermoons this year will be at 6:48 p.m. March 20, 2019.

A Full Moon that takes place when the Moon is near its closest approach (perigee) to Earth is called a Super Full Moon.
Since the Moon's orbit around Earth is not a perfect circle, but elliptical, one side is closer to Earth than the other. As a result, the distance between the Moon and Earth varies throughout the month and the year. On average, the distance is about 382,900 kilometers (238,000 miles). The point of the Moon's orbit closest to Earth is called the perigee and the point farthest away is the apogee.

While Supermoon is not an official astronomical term it was defined by an astrologer, Richard Nolle, in 1979 as a full moon that occurs when the Moon is within 90% of its closest approach to Earth in its orbit. Generally, a Supermoon occurs when the center of the Moon is less than 360,00 kilometers or 223,694 miles from the center of Earth. Because it's so close to Earth, a Super Full Moon's angular size appears 5.9%–6.9% bigger than an average Full Moon. A Super Full Moon also looks about 16% brighter than an average Full Moon.
 
The Supermoon on November 14, 2016, was the closest since January 26, 1948. The next time a Full Moon will come even closer to Earth is on November 25, 2034 (dates based on UTC time).
               
Super Moon November 2016

In Hawaii, it is rather common to see people gather on the beaches for a Full Moon “Moonrise”. This is the best time to enjoy not only a Supermoon, but any other Full Moon. As the Full Moon rises and is low to the horizon, it actually looks bigger and brighter than when it’s higher in the sky. This illusion is the result of the Moon being close to the horizon more than being at perigee.

Taking a picture of a Full Moon with a smart phone can get a good result if you do the following:

• Make use of the scenery around you by including trees, buildings, land or reflections.
• Turn off the flash so as not to disturb the natural light.
• Use ambient light from buildings or other sources that can complement the Moon’s glow.   

Use these tips to capture the March Full Moon on March 20, at 6:48 p.m.     

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