Starry Heavens Newsletter
March 2020
March 6 – Wayfinders Premiere in honor of 45th Anniversary of Hokule’a setting sail from Kaneohe
Join us at Hokulani Imaginarium for the premiere of this live-action fulldome film that tells the 5,000 year story of voyaging in the Pacific and teaches non-instrument celestial navigation techniques. This 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.
March 8 – 45th Anniversary of Hokule’a setting sail from Kaneohe
Forty-five years ago, March 8, 1975, Hokule'a set sail from Kaneohe on Oahu.
The canoe was named after the zenith star Arcturus, which passes directly overhead of the Hawaiian Islands. The Hawaiian name for Arcturus is Hokule'a, "star of gladness.”
From a voyaging perspective, when you see Hokule`a arc overhead, you know you’re sharing the same latitude with the Main Hawaiian Islands, and it’s a shining light in the night time heavens which helps to point the way home.
Over the last 45 years Hokule‘a continues to ply the Pacific and her trips have given rise to a culture of voyaging. Hokule‘a has triggered a wave of awareness that is heading for international shores. The concepts of teamwork, togetherness, and looking to our ancestors for a sustainable future are principles which can apply both at home and abroad.
Let's give a warm Aloha welcome to Dan Collura . . .
the newest member of the Center for Aerospace Education. Dan's expertise with full dome planetarium equipment will be invaluable as we look forward to installing an upgraded system this year. Moreover, he is very versatile and expect to see him in the lab helping with tours and in the box office as needed.
March is chock full of Astronomical Events for your Viewing Pleasure - Check out our calendar of Celestial Events for 2020 on our website.
March 9 - Super Full Moon - enjoy this March full moon, as the year’s first supermoon lights up the nighttime from dusk till dawn.
March 19 - The March equinox is an event that happens on our sky’s dome and a seasonal marker in Earth’s orbit around the sun generally marking the first day of Spring, which will be at 5:50p.m. HST on March 19.
March 20 - Conjunction of Jupiter and Mars - According to data from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, on March 20, 2020 there will be a planetary conjunction of Jupiter and Mars; Jupiter will move to 0° 42' north of Mars. As in the other conjunctions, this conjunction can be viewed by the naked eyes as well as with binoculars. At around the same time, the two objects will also make a close approach, technically called an appulse.
From Honolulu, the pair will be visible in the dawn sky, rising at 02:51 (HST) – 3 hours and 46 minutes before the Sun – and reaching an altitude of 38° above the south-eastern horizon before fading from view as dawn breaks around 06:23.
March 26 - Great Conjunction of Jupiter, Mars and Saturn at 4 a.m. -Three planets will reach “opposition” (when Earth passes between it and the Sun) and shine extra-bright: Mars, Saturn and Jupiter.
For more information about Imaginarium shows and events contact:
Manager, Dineene O‘Connor, at 808-235-7350 or dineene@hawaii.edu.
**********************************************************
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.
* * * * *
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
