Starry Heavens Newsletter
January 2020
Hauoli Makahiki Hou -
Happy New Year everyone. We hope you had a very merry holiday and are looking forward to the new year as much as we are at the Center for Aerospace Education and especially the Hokulani Imaginarium. We were delighted to see so many of you attend our seasonal shows.
We are reprising "Star of Bethlehem: The Magi's Story" Friday, January 3, at 7:00 pm in honor of the Epiphany that occurs January 6, when it is said the Magi arrived bearing their gifts.
We are also happy to announce that we are adding three new shows in 2020 which are briefly described below.
Wayfinders: Waves, Winds, and Stars: A live-action fulldome film that tells the 5,000 year story of voyaging in the Pacific and teaches non-instrument celestial navigation techniques. This live-action fulldome program puts you on the deck of the voyaging canoe Hōkūleʻa as you explore traditional Polynesian navigation. Learn how to read the stars and interpret the winds and waves to navigate without modern instruments. The film tells the story of the Polynesian Voyaging Society and the recovery of the nearly lost art and science of traditional, non-instrument navigation in Hawaii.
Oceans in Space and Larry Cat in Space will be added to our line-up in the fall thanks to the generosity of Professor Emeritus of Windward Community College, Dr. Jacqueline Maly's, support of Hokulani Imaginarium's Adopt a Show Program. Scroll down to the bottom of this page for more information about our Adopt a Show program and how you or your organization could participate.
Oceans in Space is a unique Imaginarium show which takes audiences on a voyage beneath the oceans of earth and beyond to the shores of alien worlds. The story begins five billion years ago as it traces the origin of the solar system and the creation of our watery planet. Narrated by Avery Brooks (Captain Sisko of TV’s Star Trek: Deep Space Nine).
Larry Cat in Space is targeted primarily for grades K-3, this show is an imaginative story about an inquisitive cat who takes a trip to the Moon. It is a fun family show.
Hawaiian Skies for 2020
Visit our Sky Information for 2020 to check out what amazing celestial events will grace our Hawaiian Skies in 2020. First up the Quadrantids Meteor Shower.
Short but Sweet treat to start off the New Year!
The Quadrantids are usually active between the end of December and the second week of January, and peak around January 3-4. Unlike other meteor showers that tend to stay at their peak for about two days, the peak period of the Quadrantids only lasts a few hours. In Honolulu it is projected that it will be possible to see up to 120 meteors per hour between 2-7a.m. but 5:48 a.m. HST is projected to be the best time in Hawaii.
Since the Quadrantid shower has such a narrow peak lasting for only a few hours, if you miss the peak, which is easy to do, you won’t see many meteors. But the pay-off can be good! The Quadrantids can match the meteor rates of the better-known August Perseid and December Geminid showers. However, this meteor shower favors the Northern Hemisphere because its radiant point – the point in the sky from which the meteors appear to come from – is far to the north on the sky’s dome. So it’s not a globally watched shower, as many are.
Bear in mind meteor shower peaks are rarely a certainty. It’s nearly always a gamble that a shower will reward you with a good show. Bottom line: If you’re at a northerly latitude, try the Quadrantid meteor shower from late night January 3 to dawn January 4, 2020. This shower can produce 50-100 meteors per hour, but its peak is short and sweet.
So what are the Quadrantids anyway? Here is the “backstory” on the Quadrantid shower. It is named after the defunct 19th century constellation Quadrans Muralis. If you trace the paths of the Quandrantids backward, they appear to radiate from a point where this constellation once reigned in the sky. If you wish, you can locate the Quadrantid radiant in reference to the Big Dipper and the bright star Arcturus. That is pretty hard to do in Hawaii since we lose the Big Dipper at this time of year. But you don’t need to find the radiant to enjoy the Quadrantids. You only need a dark, open sky for an hour or so before dawn.We will have that in Hawaii since the waxing gibbous moon will set way before dawn’s first light, enabling you to watch this shower in a deliciously dark sky in the wee hours before dawn.
For more information about Imaginarium shows and events contact:
Manager, Dineene O‘Connor, at 808-235-7350 or dineene@hawaii.edu.
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Our admission prices are:
- $8 General admission
- $7 WCC students, military, seniors (65 years or older), with ID
- $6 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.
Please pick up and pay for tickets at the Imaginarium Box Office at least 15 minutes prior to showtime.
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As always, we welcome your feedback or questions, feel free to phone (808) 235-7350 or email to dineene@hawaii.edu. If you would like information regarding our Adopt-a-Show sponsorship program please click here.
Dineene O'Connor
Manager, Hōkūlani Imaginarium
Windward Community College
Hale Imiloa 135A
Office (808) 235-7350
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