Mythology In the Stars –
The Imaginarium is a perfect place to study Mythology and I have recently talked to teachers whose curriculum includes mythology. I was excited to let them know that several Imaginarium full dome shows reference a number of mythology stories from a number of cultures including classic Greek and Roman, Hawaiian, Egyptian, Mayan and Native American myths found among the stars. I hope teachers will consider a field trip to the Imaginarium to discover the link between the stories of ancient cultures and the ever-present constellations in the night sky. The following list of Imaginarium full dome shows provides brief descriptions of the mythology stories found in each.
Earth, Moon and Sun - Earth, Moon and Sun is a full dome Imaginarium show that explores the relationship between the Earth, Moon and Sun using Native American mythology and star lore.
Maunakea: Between Earth and Sky recounts the myth of the sibling rivalry between Pele and Poli`ahu and the creation of the Hawaiian Islands.
Tales of the Maya Skies - This Imaginarium show explains the splendor of Maya architecture and astronomy through Maya mythological stories.
Cowboy Astronomer - This skillfully woven tapestry of star tales and Native American legends, combined with constellation identification, star-hopping and astronomy tidbits is told from the unique viewpoint of cowboy astronomer, Baxter Black.
Stars of the Pharaohs - Journey back 6,000 years to the land of ancient Egypt to view the stars in its desert skies. The Imaginarium’s multi-media show reenacts the mythological creation of the Egyptian universe and discusses the celestial connections of the many pyramids that stand sentinel to its ancient history.
After each show, a brief "live sky" segment projects the constellations that can be seen in the night sky on the day of a field trip and summarizes the myths that are associated with those constellations.
Of course, the ever popular “Stargazing with Krissie Kellogg”, occurs every second Wednesday at 7p.m. Krissie focuses on Greek and Roman mythology of the stars in a most entertaining and informative way.
Maunakea Scholar wins $10,000 scholarship
Jean Claude "JC" Dumasian, a recent Waipahu High School graduate, dreamed of pursuing a degree in astronomy. JC's dream is on course to come true as he was recently awarded a $10,000 Hokuala (rising star) Scholarship to attend the University of Hawaii at Manoa in the fall. The scholarship award was based on his leading-edge research of the spectra of Wolf-Rayet stars.The Hokuala Scholarship is part of the Maunakea Scholars program awarded annually to top performing seniors going on to study astronomy in college. For students attending UH, the scholarship includes mentorship by a leader in Maunakea astronomy throughout the undergraduate’s education. Scholarships like this have a huge impact on a student’s ability to pursue their degree and career path in astronomy.
The Maunakea Scholars Program provides students at 13 Hawaii public high schools the opportunity to apply for telescope time on the Maunakea Observatories to conduct their own independent research projects. Each participating school is paired with a graduate student mentor from the University of Hawaii's Institute for Astronomy (IFA). The mentor guides students through the proposal process. Pictured below are JC and his mentor, IFA's Christian Flores.
JC researched the Wolf-Rayet stars using the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope last year and this summer he received more observation time at the NASA infrared Telescope Facility becoming the second student to receive telescope observation time for two separate proposals in the program’s history. Acording to Mary Beth Laychak, outreach manager at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope and Maunakea Scholars program manager, “Immediately after JC received his CHFT data, he asked if it was possible to get more data. He said he thought he needed to look at his stars in another wavelength of light. As soon as JC said that I knew he's an astronomer and doesn’t even know it yet.”
Mary Beth Laychak congratulates JC Dumasian on his Maunakea Scholarship award. Mary Beth is a former Imaginarium Manager and a 2019 40 under 40 award recipient.
JC is only the second winner of the Maunakea Scholarship in the Maunakea Scholars program’s four-year history. Maunakea Scholars is a unique partnership between the State Department of Education, UH and the Maunakea Observatories. The Maunakea Scholars program and Hokuala Scholarship have dramatic and positive impacts on students who wish to pursue degrees and careers in astronomy. For more information, visit www.maunakeascholars.org.
For more information about this family-friendly event, contact Imaginarium Manager Dineene O‘Connor at 808-235-7350 or dineene@hawaii.edu.
