#MaunaKea

[santmat]

Clear skies this evening at the Subaru- Asahi Star Camera atop Maunakea, Hawaii. Dark skies at least till the moon rises: https://youtu.be/_8rp1p_tWlc

Space #SkyCams #Cosmos

[808nontrad]

maunakea from my backyard, beautiful as always

[ammg-old2]

On a cool winter evening in early January, 19-year-old Millie Leong turned her camera to the inky black sky stretching over the peak of Maunakea.

With temperatures hovering around 30 degrees Fahrenheit, the roads of the rain-lashed Hawaiian mountain were glazed with ice. But Leong and her peers—all bundled in thick coats and multiple layers of long-sleeved shirts and socks—paid the cold little mind, turning instead to the stars and clouds peppering the scenery above them. It was Leong’s first time handling a night lens, and she was eager to explore.

“It wasn’t a steady shot. . . but just being able to take the pictures is kind of amazing,” she says. “The blur made the stars look like birds.”

With its 13,803-foot unpolluted peak, Maunakea (the Hawaiʻi Board on Geographic Names recommends the Native Hawaiian single-word spelling, meaning the mountain of Wākea) is considered one of the world’s best spots for stargazing, and the dormant volcano’s summit is the planned future home of a giant observatory called the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT). But the mountain, which already sports 13 other telescopes, is also one of the most sacred sites in Hawaiian cosmology—and many of the state’s community elders, or kūpuna, fear further construction will do irreparable damage.

By January 2020, many of the kūpuna had been camped in protest on the mountain’s frosted flanks for many months, as part of a longstanding campaign to stymie construction at the summit. Just hours after Leong snapped her own shots of the cosmos, Charles Alcock, director of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, met with the elders at Maunakea—the first time since the start of the demonstrations that a representative from the astronomical community visited the encampment to engage in respectful conversation with the mountain’s protectors, or kia’i. An event that brought together two sides of a longstanding debate, it was a crucial moment in the discourse around the hallowed mountain’s fate. And Leong and her peers were there to capture it on film.

Leong and five other students are now graduates of the Our Stories program, a project that equips young Hawaiians with the technological skills to document oral histories from island natives. They spent the second week of January at Maunakea, interviewing the kūpuna while learning the ropes of photography and filmography.

“It was amazing stuff,” says Kālewa Correa, the curator of Hawaiʻi and Pacific America at the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center (APAC) and Our Stories’ project leader. Some of their footage “captures history in the making.”

Though currently on hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Our Stories, now in its third year, has already archived dozens of stories from community elders across the state, all captured through the eyes and ears of Hawaiʻi’s next generation of creatives. The goal, Correa says, is to create “an army of digital storytellers” who are empowered to catalogue the cultural goings-on in their own backyard—and bolster representation of Hawaiians on both sides of the camera.

In many ways, “you can only tell stories about a community if you’re from the community,” says Conrad Lihilihi, a filmmaker and educator with Our Stories. “If you’re not from Hawaiʻi. . . there are so many nuances people miss. At the end of the day, we must take some kind of authorship of our own stories.”

[mserratog]

Maunakea Observatories - Hawai'i

Maunakea Observatories – Hawai’i

During our visit to the Big Island in Hawai’i, we went to the Mauna Kea Observatories. This is one of the most impressive hikes we have ever made. The Maunakea Observatories are a collaboration of nonprofit independent institutions with telescopes located on Maunakea on the island of Hawai‘i and managed by organizations and countries such as NASA, the University of Hawai’i, Canada, France, the…

[luxurytravelcurator]

Sunday morning last minute booking for clients of mine. Mauna Kea #Beach Hotel by Autograph Collection #BigIsland #Hawaii. Of course paired with unique and authentic experiences and tours, curated personally by Luxury Travel Curator in collaboration with our expert and trusted on-site partners. Booking #MaunaKea by #AutographCollection directly with me, my clients will enjoy a suite of #VIP Amenities such as and not limited to: Room upgrades + Early Check IN & Late Check OUT + Complimentary Breakfast + Food & Beverage and/or Spa Credits + Free WIFI among many others. Stay tuned to my upcoming trips 2023: Punta Mita & Jalisco, Mexico ( January 2023 ). Cuba ( February 2023 ). Buenos Aires, Argentina ( April 2023 ). Paris, France for Roland Garros ( May 2023 ). Subscribe to my IG Chanel, for full access to exclusive content, curated tips and recommendations, unique experiences, vip amenities and benefits, plus much more. My mission is to transform Tourists into Travelers by experiencing unique travel experiences, moments and destinations worldwide. Luxury Travel Curator, Concierge, Blogger & Lifestyle Consultant. Over 28 years curating the world of Authentic and Sophisticated Travel, Hospitality & Lifestyle, one destination at the time. Member of the exclusive @VirtuosoLTD Luxury Network, #AmericanExpress Membership Rewards, Fine Hotels & Resorts and Pay with Points Programs. Luxury #TravelAdvisor. #Jetsetter #Globetrotter #BonVivant. Founder of @LGTNetwork Luxury #GayTravel Curator, member of @IGLTA. #Travel #Hotel #Restaurant & #Airline reviews. Follow, read and share my travel experiences worldwide. #TravelAgent, #TravelBlogger, #WeddingPlanner #TravelBlog #LuxuryTravel #Luxury #Lifestyle #LuxuryTravelCurator #Concierge #Blogger #VirtuosoTravel #resort @maunakeahotel @marriottbonvoy @autographhotels Luxury Travel Curator & Co Mobile & WhatsApp +1 (917) 754-5515 / Email info@carlosmelia.com / www.luxurytravelcuratorco.com (at Big Island, Hawaii) https://www.instagram.com/p/CncLX94uHZn/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[sanskritiias]

मौना लोआ ज्वालामुखी में विस्फोट (Mauna Loa Volcano) #MaunaLoa #MaunaKea #BigIsland #IAS #UPSC #Prelims #Mains #GS #News_Article #SanskritiIAS https://www.instagram.com/p/CmJbT1lPZ44/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[koloheboy808]

Let the sun shine on you to keep you warm and to keep a warm smile on your face so you can also shine on others to keep them warm. ~ ed taguba Beautiful Breathtaking Sunrise above Mauna Kea. The elevation is 13,800+ above sea level, and temperatures reach about 30 degrees plus wind chills lol 🥶🥶🥶 but that didn't stop us from taking our photos. 🖼 Own a piece of Hawai'i Fill your home or office walls with beautiful and amazing photos. DM for inquiries, email info@dreamshothawaii.com or text me 808.800.8535 🤙 www.dreamshothawaii.com 📸 CREATIVE GEAR @sonyalpha A7RIV Camera @sonyalpha FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 OSS + 1.4x Teleconverter @cokinusa Nuances Clearsky Filter @benro_australia MACH3 Tripod and VX30 Ball Head @smallrig.global SmallRig L-Bracket #koloheboyfoto #cokincreative #hnnsunrise #sky_sultans #sky_brilliance #ig_captures #fstopbangaz #luckywelivehawaii #ighawaii #mint_shotz #maunaloaeruption #luckywelivehi #ig_skyvibes #world_bestsky #sky_scapes #maunakea #maunakeasummit #nakedhawaii #longexpolite #mounaloa #landscapephotohub #havealohawilltravel #rebel_sky #longexposure_shots #islandnews #sky_captures #volcano #lava #photooftheday (at Mauna Kea Summit) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cl61cNPS4Jh/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[stephanebeart]

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Stephane Beart (@stephane.beart)

[headyhawaii]

🔭🌋We met up with @steve_sizelove at the top of Mauna Kea (13,000 feet) along side these powerful telescopes to hand off & photograph his newest incredible dual layered bubble trapped fume tech “Blooper” recycler! 😱🫧We plucked the pelican for it up here too in the last slide!☺️👌 Huge love to Steve and his family, we had a surreal magical blast cruising with them these last couple days on the Big Island of Hawai’i and are so thankful for their friendship!! ❤️💚 #stevesizelove #sizelove #teamsizelove #headyhawaii #fumetech #bubbletrap #fumedglass #blooper #maunakea #lovelife (at Mauna Kea Observatory) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cj4YjV5Ll3F/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[judgingbooksbycovers]

Lei and the Fire Goddess

By Malia Maunakea.

[santmat]

Just before sunrise Maunakea, Hawaii as shown on the Subaru-Asahi Star Camera live stream: https://youtu.be/eH90mZnmgD4

[nmotypdfsfg]

[theofficialastronomy101]

Island of Hawaii with snowcapped volcanoes Maunakea and Maunaloa, photographed from the ISS on March

[nasa-official]

snowfall from last night outside of the canada france hawaii telescope on the summit of maunakea (no photons were collected)

[just--space]

Arp 78: Peculiar Galaxy in Aries : Peculiar spiral galaxy Arp 78 is found within the boundaries of the head strong constellation Aries. Some 100 million light-years beyond the stars and nebulae of our Milky Way galaxy, the island universe is over 100,000 light-years across. Also known as NGC 772, it sports a prominent, outer spiral arm in this detailed cosmic portrait from the large Gemini North telescope near the summit of Maunakea, Hawaii, planet Earth. Tracking along sweeping dust lanes and lined with young blue star clusters, Arp 78's spiral arm is likely pumped-up by galactic-scale gravitational tidal interactions The close companion galaxy responsible is NGC 770, located off the upper right of this frame. But more distant background galaxies are clearly visible in the cosmic field of view. via NASA

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

Tracking a newly discovered hypervelocity star spotted by citizen scientists

by W. M. Keck Observatory

It may seem like the sun is stationary while the planets in its orbit are moving, but the sun is actually orbiting around the Milky Way galaxy at an impressive rate of about 220 kilometers per second—almost half a million miles per hour.

As swift as that may seem, when a faint red star was discovered moving even faster across the sky, clocking in at a speed of about 1.3 million miles per hour (600 kilometers per second), scientists took notice.

This rare stellar speedster is the first "hypervelocity" very low mass star found, thanks to the efforts of citizen scientists and a team of astronomers from around the country using several telescopes, including two in Hawaiʻi—W. M. Keck Observatory on Maunakea, Hawaiʻi Island and the University of Hawaiʻi Institute for Astronomy Pan-STARRS on Haleakalā, Maui. Located just 400 light-years from Earth, it is the nearest known hypervelocity star to us.

More remarkably, this star may be on an unusual trajectory that could cause it to leave the Milky Way altogether.

The research, led by University of California (UC) San Diego Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics Adam Burgasser, has recently been accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal Letters and is available in preprint format on arXiv.

The star, named CWISE J124909+362116.0 (or "J1249+36" for short), was first spotted by some of the over 80,000 citizen science volunteers participating in the Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 project, who comb through enormous reams of data collected over the past 14 years by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) mission.

This project capitalizes on the keen ability of humans, who are evolutionarily programmed to look for patterns and spot anomalies in a way that is unmatched by computer technology. Volunteers tag moving objects in data files and when enough volunteers tag the same object, astronomers investigate.

J1249+36 immediately stood out because it was moving at about .1% the speed of light.

"This is where the source became very interesting, as its speed and trajectory showed that it was moving fast enough to potentially escape the Milky Way," says Burgasser.

To better understand the nature of this object, Burgasser turned to Keck Observatory's Near-Infrared Echellette Spectrograph (NIRES) and measured its infrared spectrum. The data revealed the object was an L subdwarf—a class of stars with very low masses and cooler temperatures than our sun. Subdwarfs represent the oldest stars in the Milky Way.

The team compared Keck Observatory's insight into J1249+36's composition with a new set of atmosphere models created by UC San Diego alumnus Roman Gerasimov, who worked with UC LEADS scholar Efrain Alvarado III to generate models specifically tuned to study L subdwarfs.

"It was exciting to see that our models were able to accurately match the spectrum obtained with Keck's NIRES," says Alvarado.

The spectral data, along with imaging data from Pan-STARRS and several other ground-based telescopes, allowed the team to accurately measure J1249+36's position and velocity in space, and thereby predict its orbit through the Milky Way.

What gave this star a kick?

Researchers focused on two possible scenarios to explain J1249+36's unusual trajectory.

In the first scenario, J1249+36 was originally the low-mass companion of a white dwarf. White dwarfs are the remnant cores of stars that have depleted their nuclear fuel and died out. When a stellar companion is in a very close orbit with a white dwarf, it can transfer mass, resulting in periodic outbursts called novae. If the white dwarf collects too much mass, it can collapse and explode as a supernova.

"In this kind of supernova, the white dwarf is completely destroyed, so its companion is released and flies off at whatever orbital speed it was originally moving, plus a little bit of a kick from the supernova explosion as well," says Burgasser.

"Our calculations show this scenario works. However, the white dwarf isn't there anymore and the remnants of the explosion, which likely happened several million years ago, have already dissipated, so we don't have definitive proof that this is its origin."

In the second scenario, J1249+36 was originally a member of a globular cluster, a tightly bound cluster of stars, immediately recognizable by its distinct spherical shape. The centers of these clusters are predicted to contain black holes of a wide range of masses. These black holes can also form binaries, and such systems turn out to be great catapults for any stars that happen to wander too close to them.

"When a star encounters a black hole binary, the complex dynamics of this three-body interaction can toss that star right out of the globular cluster," says Kyle Kremer, incoming Assistant Professor in UC San Diego's Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics.

Kremer ran a series of simulations and found that on rare occasions these kinds of interactions can kick a low-mass subdwarf out of a globular cluster and on a trajectory similar to that observed for J1249+36.

"It demonstrates a proof of concept," says Kremer, "but we don't actually know what globular cluster this star is from." Tracing J1249+36 back in time puts it in a very crowded part of the sky that may hide undiscovered clusters.

To determine whether either of these scenarios, or some other mechanism, can explain J1249+36's trajectory, Burgasser said the team hopes to look more closely at its elemental composition. For example, when a white dwarf explodes, it creates heavy elements that could have "polluted" the atmosphere of J1249+36 as it was escaping. The stars in globular clusters and satellite galaxies of the Milky Way also have distinct element abundance patterns that may reveal the origin of J1249+36.

"We're essentially looking for a chemical fingerprint that would pinpoint what system this star is from," said Gerasimov, whose modeling work has enabled him to measure the element abundances of cool stars in several globular clusters.

Whether J1249+36's speedy journey was because of a supernova, a chance encounter with a black hole binary, or some other scenario, its discovery provides a new opportunity for astronomers to learn more about the history and dynamics of the Milky Way.