The Hawaiians are Explorers, Celestial Navigators, and Technological Early Adopters I should first disclose that my Mother’s maiden name is Kailikini and I was immersed in Hawaiian culture since birth, 60 years ago. I have always felt a cultural special connection to the stars and pursued Astronomy and Physics all of my life. I support… Continue Reading Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT)
Star and Constellation Names are of Ancient Origin The Constellation Taurus can be traced back to Babylonian times about 6,000 years ago. Taurus was the location of the Vernal Equinox from 4,000 BC to 1700 BC. All ancient astronomy texts used Taurus as a marker for the New Year. Many star and constellation names have… Continue Reading Ancient Names: Say It Like You Mean It
According to current models of Star Nuclear Fusion our Sun is estimated to have a 10-billion year total lifetime of which we are about half way through. In another 5 billion years it will have consumed most of the hydrogen it was endowed with at birth fusing it into helium. The resulting helium will then… Continue Reading Nuclear Fusion Powers Stars
Origin of the name Betelgeuse Betelgeux, Bectelgeuze, Betelgeuse–over time the name has morphed. Sleuthing through history, the origin of the name is fraught with mistranslations from the original Arabic. A logical choice would be “Bait al Jauza”. The House “bait” of the Central One “Al Jauza”. The western most star of the belt of Orion… Continue Reading Betelgeux, Bectelgeuze, Betelgeuse
The Dog Days of Summer The word Sirius is Latin for “scorching” derived from the Greek name. From Cairo, in August, the Sun is about 15 degrees north of the equator and Sirius is 15 degrees south of the equator. The heliacal rising of Sirius, namely the day it becomes visible just before sunrise after moving far… Continue Reading Sirius the Dog Star
Thinking about going to Mauna Kea for stargazing? Read this first to make sure you get the best stargazing you can. Continue Reading Important: Read This Before Going Up Mauna Kea
For many years, we have referred to the highest peak on the island of Hawaii as Mauna Kea, meaning “White Mountain.” However, this changed in early 2014 in favor of the Hawaiian phrase, “Maunakea,” with no space. Maunakea is short for “Mauna a Wākea,” meaning the mountain of Wākea. Wākea is the god of the… Continue Reading Is it spelled Mauna Kea or Maunakea?