Something Smells Fishy

Red Pencil Urchin

It's been over twenty years since I've had the chance to go snorkeling, so that was second on my list (after seeing an active volcano first hand) for our trip to Hawaii.  Thanks to our friends, Andrew and Deb Cooper (residents of the Big Island), we all had free use of snorkel and beach equipment for the week!  Not only did they loan us masks, snorkels, fins, aqua shoes, chairs, mats, a beach blanket, and a cooler(!); they let us borrow a Nikon digital camera with underwater housing!  Generous beyond belief!  I've used a disposable underwater camera before (20+ years ago), but technology has improved greatly since then.  At the end of this post go to the link for our niece's underwater shots - taken with a disposable underwater camera, on this trip, as well!

Test shot in the pool

It was a real leap of faith, taking the camera underwater the first time - at least for me.  I couldn't stand the thought of something horrible happening to it, so 'tested it out' in our hotel pool first before actually taking the plunge in the ocean.  Fortunately, some kid was cooperative enough to jump in about the time I was taking a "test shot".  Once I felt confident we weren't going to be buying a new camera for the Cooper's, I was ready for hitting the ocean!

Green Sea Turtle

Green Sea Turtle

Snorkeling is about the most fun thing a non-diver can do in the ocean!  If you can kick your feet and float, you can snorkel.  Even non-swimmers can get in on the fun by wearing a life vest.  It's relaxing and opens up a whole new world, the underwater world!  I had been reading about good snorkeling sites, on line, for months in advance of our trip.  I found a site, Hawaii Snorkeling Guide that mentioned three great sites on the Big Island.  The first we chose was at a city park near Kona, Kahaluu Beach Park.  It was a great 'cove', protected from big waves, lots of coral and fish!  The walking from our shady spot to the water was a little rough on the feet, but I have really sensitive feet.  Every beach we went to we encountered Green Sea Turtles, and Kahaluu was no exception!  This guy was taking a break on the lava at the shore - before we even entered the water!  His buddy was still swimming with us in the cove for a while, also.  It's definitely 'odd' to come face to face with a sea turtle - we did our best to stay clear, though most everyone we spoke to said they are pretty harmless.  No need to provoke the locals though!  The second place we snorkeled was Mauna Kea Beach - Kaunaoa Bay.  Mauna Kea Beach is listed as one of the top 10 beaches in the world, and is perfect for beginners.  It is a huge cove of silky soft sand (great on the feet), with massive areas of coral surrounding the edges.  The coral there had areas of canyons that were great to swim through!  The coral is where the action is, so it was great to have so many areas to see.  As the tide came in there were areas of the coral that only had a few inches of water covering it - so it was sometimes hard to swim over and avoid touching!  Knowing that there are sea urchins and anemone's helps to remind one to "take only pictures, leave only bubbles".
Dean is already talking about a return trip in the Spring, to do some more 'serious' astronomy.  I'm already envisioning us taking more underwater pictures - and looking at underwater cameras on line (there are really very affordable ones out there)!  There are Queen Angels just waiting to have their picture taken so they can be on our blog, and we never made it to the third beach recommended by the Hawaii Snorkeling Guide!
Be sure to go to our niece's blog: Shannon's Song.  She has some AMAZING pictures from our snorkel trips!


There's a lot of pictures here, and I hope I have the fish identified correctly!

Deanfish

Melindafish

Yellow Tang, and some of the amazing coral!

Fourspot Butterflyfish

A little Goby of some sort, hiding in the coral

Moorish Idol

Closer look at the Moorish Idol

Orange Spine Unicornfish, Convict Tang and a Yellow Tang

A little Pufferfish!

One of my favorites, Raccoon Butterflyfish

Reef Triggerfish.  These guys are really fast!

A Stoplight Parrotfish.  They give the place some color and can be up to 2 feet long!

Teardrop Butterflyfish

Ornate Butterflyfish

A Threadfin Butterflyfish, and Convict Tang

Yellowfin Surgeonfish

Yellowfin Wrasse

Yellow Tang - more than you can count!

Arizona Science and Astronomy Expo!

Today was the first day of the inaugural AZ Science & Astronomy Expo.  It was great!  I heard absolutely no advertising other than some talk on the local astro club's forum pages a few weeks ago, but obviously the word got out.  The vendor areas and talks seemed well-attended, and I was very impressed by the lineup of manufacturers and dealers of astronomical equipment of all kinds coming to vie for our attention.  Given that I recognised almost as many friends that made the trip down from Phoenix, as locals here in Tucson that attended, my question was "why is the event in Tucson"?  We hardly seem worthy!  I literally did not go to any of the "big name" lecturers, which included Phil "Mr Bad Astronomy" Plait, one of my favorite bloggers, and Don Pettit, who has spent over a year in space over a couple Space Station stays.

Here are a few of my favorite snapshots taken today.  At left, Richard Buchroeder, local lens designer extraordinaire, checks the view through some Explore Scientific eyepieces with and without glasses.  At right is the buffet table of other of their wares to touch and try out on a telescope.

 

In the photo at left, Roger Ceragioli (holding his new book on telescope optics), Margie and Roland (Mr Astro-Physics) Christen, and me (of little to no note!), next to AP's 7" APO and AP1600 mounting (Photo taken by Richard Buchroeder).  Roland is having difficult getting glass for this size, so there may be no more!  At left is the only talk I attended - buddy Bill Wren of McDonald Observatory presented at the International Dark-Sky Association annual meeting on some excellent examples of retrofitting bad lights and fixtures to control skyglow in West Texas.

 

 

Here at left, an impressive display of most every type of Tele-Vue Nagler eyepieces is available from Woodland Hills Camera.  At right, our buddies Claude and Teresa Plymate made the trip over from Big Bear to visit the Expo and their TAAA friends!

 

And just a couple more - at left, CCD cameras and filter wheels make for a colorful display at the Apogee Camera table.  At right, Tom Taylor of A Shooting Star Inn from near Flagstaff checks out a very fine $850 Leica zoom eyepiece at the ASA booth.

 

It was a great day - I'd gladly spend Sunday there too, though I've got obligations that will take me out of town.  Hopefully there will be enough interest for vendors and attendees that it will become a regular event!

Astronomy Capital of the World?!

If you Google "Astronomy Capital of the World", you will learn that the Tucson area holds that distinction (also known as "Optics Valley" because of telescopes and startup optics-related companies here.  Not that you can believe everything you read on the Internet!  Not only is it home to Kitt Peak National Observatory, but there are also major observatories on Mount Graham, Mount Hopkins and Mount Lemmon, all within 60 air miles of Tucson.

But on Hawaii's "Big Island", stands Mauna Kea, certainly the largest concentration of big telescopes on one peak!  The Keck Observatory, the center two domes in the above image, when working together, would be considered the largest telescope in the world.  Fortunately, I have a friend who works there, Andrew Cooper, who gladly volunteered a tour when we visited a week and a half ago.  A tour is not without difficulty - at 14,000 feet elevation, there is only about half the oxygen available at sea level.  In addition, a high-clearance or 4-wheel drive vehicle is required to access the peak - rental cars are expressly prohibited from going there in the rental agreements!  Fortunately, the road to the 9,000+ foot level visitor center is very good, though very steep, and Andrew drove us up in his personal vehicle from there.

The Observatory is located near the center of the Big Island, on the tallest of the five shield volcanoes that dominate the Island.  It is accessed from the "Saddle Road" which can be seen running between Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa in the shortcut between the east and west sides of the Island.  Recent improvements make the trip to Hilo from the west arid side with the many resorts very pleasant.  The turnoff from the Saddle Road, while not unmarked, belie the significance of the activities atop the mountain. 

Of course, we had to stop for a few pictures!  While Mauna Kea is considered dormant, last erupting 4,600 years ago, there are many nearby "fresh" lava flows from adjacent Mauna Loa, which last erupted for a month in 1984 (as opposed to Kiluea, which has been continuously erupting for 30 years).  The flows shown here next to the turnoff are from Mauna Loa flows from 1935.  Even with the "new" lava surface, plant life can exist - it is part of the rehabbing of the surface, breaking up the rock to form new soil.  The smoothed-surface lava here is known as pahoehoe, as opposed to a'a lava which is very rough in texture, of which we also saw plenty.

Heading up the hill, the road ascended very quickly - few switchbacks in these lower sections - the road almost goes directly up the slope!  Just about when you think it can't get any steeper and you must be coming to the top, you crest a hill and see the peak still well ahead and fortunately, a flattish area with a visitor center, as well as support buildings for the various observatories - dormitories, dining halls and the like.  Staff and astronomers staying on the mountain can't sleep at 14,000 feet elevation, but rather at the lower elevation of Hale Pohaku.  Public visitors, staff and astronomers alike that ascend the mountain are supposed to spend at least 30 minutes to an hour to help their bodies acclimate to the change in elevation.  We don't think much of driving up Kitt Peak, Mount Lemmon or even the nearly 11,000 vertical feet of Mount Graham, but most all of those enjoy a base elevation of about 3,000 feet.  On Hawaii, you can drive from sea level to the 14,000 feet atop Mauna Kea in just over an hour, something your body would likely complain about!  The visitor center, by the way, shown at left here, is very nice - there is a very small seating area where a video is always playing describing various aspects of the observatories or mountaintop, static displays and exhibits, and also a very nice little store with great souvenirs.  They do a tremendous about with the limited space.  In addition to all that, they have free telescope viewing every night!  As you can imagine, they enjoy remarkable conditions from the small plaza, not only with the center's telescopes, but those sizable ones that amateurs bring up and volunteer.  Many tour companies take advantage of these offerings, and I did too on my first trip there 20 years ago.

Andrew arrived promptly shortly after we arrived at noon, and he talked up the place as we acclimated before we headed up for our 1pm tour.  His truck normally seats 4 plus the drive, but we had 5, so was a bit like a sardine can, but only for the 15 minute drive up the last leg of the trip.  It was a beautiful day - a perfect blue sky, made darker by the high altitude.  We sat in the staff area a bit while he checked in with the weekend staff, and found out what the work schedule was and where we could and couldn't go.  I was impressed with the company-supplied snack table, and I admit I took advantage of the dried mango - tasty stuff!

He led us through the room full of electronics and computers that he was intimately familiar with, since he works with those details every day.  It was all sort of a blur to me, but an impressive amount of wiring and blinking lights!  The next room over was the control room, where the telescope and instrumentation are controlled for the night's observing.  Giving everyone a chance to sit in the operators chair, it looks at left like Shannon thinks she broke something!  Among the displays were of the telescope position, weather conditions,  and telescope and mirror temperatures inside the dome, shown on the right.

Finally we made it out into the telescope enclosure.  The building looks small compared to the telescope - not a lot of space in the dome, including getting a wide-angle view of the scope.  I took some panorama shots of the scope, but my software has difficulty putting them together without bending the tubes of the telescope truss!  I'm still working on them...  At left Andrew shows us the Multi-Object Spectrometer For Infra-Red Exploration (MOSFIRE - I want the job that comes up with these acronyms!), a Cassegrain instrument that was not in use.  It is stored on the rails here near the edge of the dome, and when it is needed, the telescope points to the horizon away from the instrument, and it slides forward on the rails to mount to the rear of the telescope.  A cool way to do it!  At right is a wide view of the telescope.  The empty rails in the foreground likely belong to the instrument that is currently installed.

The telescope is quite different in basic design than the scopes that the University of Arizona help build.  This telescope, pioneered by Jerry Nelson back in the 80s, uses hexagonal segments that fit together to form the curved surface collecting area.  At the Mirror Lab we use a single mirror substrate of large diameter to collect the light.  Each design has their pros and cons - but they provide the best two examples of methods of making large modern telescopes.  In the image at left, you can see the very small gap (2 millimeters) between the hexagonal segments, each of which is about 1.6 meters across the hexagon.  The edges between adjoining segments have electronic detectors that monitor and control the positioning of the segments to maintain a continuous mirror surface.  The net result is a collecting surface that is about 10 meters in diameter.  While the Large Binocular Telescope, here in Arizona has two 8.4 meter mirrors, some instruments utilize both mirrors, which are equivalent to about 12 meter effective aperture.  Similarly, The Keck telescopes (there are actually 2 identical telescopes), has some instrumentation that use both scopes simultaneously, so total area would be larger than the LBT...  It is sometimes difficult to justify which is the largest telescope in the world!  Also in the left image is the tertiary mirror in the central assembly.  This third mirror in the optical train (after the segmented primary and smaller secondary mirrors) directs the light out to the Nasmyth Focus to the left in this image.  The image at right shows the azimuth hydrostatic (oil pad) bearings - the entire structure floats on a thin layer of pressurized oil.  Also seen at the center is the cable wrap up which provides electronic connections as the telescope rotates.  Also at far left is the tiny "monkey cage", a public viewing gallery where the public is welcome to check out the scope. 

While taking our tour, the staffers on duty moved the telescope and dome for us.  It was cool seeing it come alive!  I took some images for a time-lapse, we'll see if they get to be part of this post or another...

A our tour wound down, the girls warmed up in the staff area (it was pretty cold, near freezing in the dome), while Andrew showed me a couple items normally not part of even the "behind the scene tour".  Most impressive to me was the "mirror garage" - a semi-clean room (thus we weren't allowed in, but could peer through a cracked door) where the spare segments are kept.  The Keck Telescope has 36 segments, and because they occupy different parts of the mirror curve, there are actually 12 different shaped segments that can be swapped into place with short notice.  So there are 12 spares for the telescope, most in the garage, for substituting when a segment needs to come out for coating or other maintenance.  It was incredible to see them "standing at attention" like an army of little robots waiting to be put into use.  The other item I got to see was the aluminizing chamber (shown at right), about 2 meters in diameter, where they reapply a fresh aluminum coating after the old coating is removed.  The aluminum surface, exposed to weather and volcanic dust, is cleaned regularly (using a CO2 process), but eventually degrades and needs recoating every year or so.

Finally we were finished and walked out the back door and we got to "tour the mountain" as we walked around the building.  Andrew pointed out the new site where the "Thirty Meter Telescope" is currently designed to go.  Like Keck, it will have a segmented mirror, but much larger than Keck.  I took a panorama of the scopes on the east ridge, shown here at left.  from left is the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF), the  Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT), Gemini North Telescope, and the University of Hawaii 2.2 meter Telescope.  Interestingly, the last mirror was made by my buddy Bob Goff!

After a short drive up the hill in the above picture, we looked back towards the Keck Observatory.  As is normal, in the far distance between the domes is a view of the next Hawaiian island over, Maui, with the 10,000 foot tall mountain Haleakala, about 80 miles distant.  To the left of the Kecks is the Japanese National Telescope, also called the Subaru Telescope (Japanese for the Pleiades star cluster).  On the right is the IRTF again.  Down in the valley to the left are a number of radio telescopes.  From the small dome at left is the Caltech Submillimeter Telescope (CSO), the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT), and the Submillimeter Array (SMA).  In all, there are 13 operational telescopes on Mauna Kea, about half the number of scopes at Kitt Peak, but the total area of scopes has a huge advantage for Hawaii.

Oh - and the time lapse?  Yes, I finally finished it, though I'm not completely happy with it - varying light levels (when am I going to learn to put exposure in MANUAL?!), needed to use wider lens, etc, etc...  Always easy to find fault - oh, and needs music too, but then, nearly all my time lapse clips need music!  For a REAL video of the inner workings of the Keck Observatory, check out Andrew Cooper's own spectacular version of behind-the-scene views!  He also has a blog post with some of the details.  Click the links and be amazed!  Oh, and Andrew - thanks for the Tour!

They Sure Know How To Throw A Party!

If you ever go to one of the larger hotels in Hawaii you will see that at least once or twice a week you can take part in a Luau, a Hawaiian-themed feast with entertainment.  This trip was no exception - the Marriott, where we were staying, had them on Tuesdays and Saturdays, but our mother-in-law Betty (shown at left) informed us we were to be guests of hers at the private Luau thrown by her Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) annual convention at the Hilton on Friday.  Betty has worked with the AAU for decades through the athletic department at the University of South Carolina, and Vicki and I have joined her in years past - both of us at San Diego in '96, and Vicki joined her solo for a different trip to Maui a few years later.  Betty told us last Spring that "she wasn't looking forward to ANOTHER trip to Hawaii", so we invited ourselves along to spice up her trip!  Plus Melinda and Shannon hadn't ever been there, so it was fun for all!

 

Of course, we were running a few minutes late, and arrived just as festivities were starting - Man, Ive never seen so many Hawaiian shirts and leis in my life in one spot!  And it was clear that the Hilton went all out in their staffing of these events.  At left is one of the "island girls" dressed and tattooed as a Maori woman, twirling her poi balls, at at right are two of the beefcake "natives" who ceremoniously dug out the roasted pig wrapped in banana leaves from the pit where it had cooked all day.  Now realize there were something like 350 people at this Luau, so that little porker wasn't enough to go 'round short of a fishes-and-loaves miracle, but there truly was a feast starting with a huge salad table with local specialties as well as more standard fare, and another entree table with vats of pig, mahi mahi, beef and chicken, rice, poi, veggies and a whole separate dessert table with nearly all combinations of banana, coconut, macadamia nuts and chocolate!  And with 2 included drinks/per person (Blue Hawaiians seemed the speciality), no one suffered any caloric shortages!

 

After the appropriate amount of time, where all 300+ were served pretty promptly, it was time for the official AAU program.  Its purpose was to induct 3 athletes into the AAU Legends Hall of Fame.  In this case, 3 heroes of mine from the first Olympics I remember in 1968 (Mexico City).  I well remember my watching them on TV and performing my own running and jumping and hurdling skills on our Iowa farm for days afterwards.  Present for their inductions were long jumper Bob Beamon (who still holds the Olympic long jump record after 44 years - the oldest modern day record!), Tommie Smith and John Carlos, the gold and bronze winning athletes in the 200 meter dash, best known for their raised black-gloved hand salute during the medal ceremony.  It was great seeing them and hearing them speak a little of their stories.

 

With business over, it was time for more ceremonial entertainment.  Led by a better than adequate crooner who served as master of ceremonies, narrator as well as singing some traditional songs, we had hula and other dance performances by both men, women and combinations, including numerous costume changes.  It was quite phenomenal!  The women seemed to have double-jointed hips - watching them made me dizzy!  While the hunky guys held my attention a little less than the women, the lead male did an outstanding job as "fire dancer" - shown at right here, he is also the lead fellow carrying the roast pig above!  And of course, like any stage performance, the men and women dancers roamed the audience to get "volunteers" to get up to the stage and embarrass.  A great time was had by all.

 

The Luau ended almost suddenly, and before we knew it, all the friends and associates were bidding each other farewell until the next conference.  Most were leaving the next day - Melinda and I in the late morning, our other family members later in the evening.   Our week flashed by, and it was great exploring the island with family that we see so rarely - it was fun to learn more about them while learning more about Hawaii.  I'm hoping we can travel with the family again - there is some talk of Mexico next year...

A Taste of WHACo Astronomy

We're having quite the time in Hawaii - I can think of about 3 posts a day as we fill our schedule with snorkeling, shopping and eating (and that is just today)!  Tonight we were invited to  a Halloween astronomy outreach event by Andrew Cooper, our buddy here who gave us a great tour of Keck last weekend that I'll certainly be posting about later.  Tonight he continues the tradition of Bob Goff, a mutual friend who decades ago set up a telescope to entertain trick-or-treaters who came by his house.  Bob, who passed about a decade ago, was a neighborhood superstar who was the talk of kids for miles around.  This time Andrew solicited the help of members of the West Hawaii Astronomy Club, or WHACos, to set up at a local mall who was running a program for kids tonight for Halloween. 

Of course, the first thing an amateur astronomer learns on tropical islands at sea level - you can't always plan on it being clear!  Up at their regular observing site at Mauna Kea Visitor Center, yes, they often observe from above the clouds,  but near the ocean, clouds and rain occur frequently.  The sunset started out great - the photo at left shows Andrew's workplace atop Mauna Kea - the Keck Telescopes - the rounded domes at left, one of which has the shadow of the Subaru (Japanese National Telescope) cast upon it.  The view is one often seen from the western coast of Hawaii when weather cooperates, nearly 3 miles above us and about 25 miles downrange to the east of us from our hotel.

 

But an hour later at the mall, there were a large herd of kids, a number of telescopes set up, and unfortunately, nary a hole in the sky allowing starlight to penetrate.  The photo at left shows Andrew trying to identify a random star that had popped out in the northeast.  Yes, there are lots of stray lights, but often in doing astronomy outreach, you need to set up your equipment where people are located.  There were not a lot of bright objects in the early evening sky, and the clouds made a frustrating experience.  It even sprinkled rain for a brief interval! 

 

Fortunately it cleared a little, allowing some of the kids that stayed a little later to check out the moon.  It is interesting to me how all the kids grabbed Andrew's scope.  Perhaps it is because of the short stepladder, but a number managed to "manually" slew the telescope to the zenith!  At least the sky allowed some viewing at the same time the Moon cleared the condos across the lake.  We also managed to get a peek at the ISS rising from the west disappearing into the Earth's shadow a few minutes earlier.  Perfect timing!

 

After a bite of dinner, Melinda and I took a short road trip up the Kohala Mountain Road, about 25 miles north of where we are staying.  I noticed in passing a few days ago that the view of the west coast of Hawaii was quite spectacular from the 3500 foot level of the "scenic view" located there.  So we returned tonight to take a few photos to assemble into a panorama, and my favorite section is reproduced here showing the coast from the Mauna Kea Resort at lower right to the Kona Airport Just over the rise of Hualalai at top.  Our hotel is at the Waikoloa Complex right at the center of the frame. 

 

This is an interesting place - while the island is roughly triangular about 80 miles on a side, the huge range in elevations create nearly all earthly life zones from tropical rain forest to tundra conditions, and driving for only a few miles can change conditions enormously.  It would take some getting used to living here, but between the island's history and culture, climate, astronomy and sea life, it could certainly keep one entertained for a long time!