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NEWS

SKYWATCH

Starline depicts
able to discover protoplane-
IANUALI (JANUARY) SKIES AT 8 P.M.
tary disks within the nebula
‘Akau (north) and have borne witness to

image of bailer the birth of new solar sys-

tems.

on au

M (NW
Hokupa‘a

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North Star

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Morning observations

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E K

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that form its belt: Mintaka, Kamo‘i Throughout January, the

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By Chad Kalepa Baybayan

a
M

ua
Alnilam, and Alnitak. Orion, Cepheus sun will be rising about 7:10
and Emily Peavy
Special to the Star-Advertiser Kaheiheionakeiki (Cat’s Cra- a.m. and dawn will not begin
dle), forms the Hawaiian im- ‘Iwakeli‘i Milky Way to color the sky until about
Cassiopeia galaxy
From January through age of children playing a 6 a.m. At the beginning of
March, the featured starline string game with both hands Nanamua Hokulei Andromeda the month, the planet Mars
returns to Kekaomakalii, outstretched and a string Castor galaxy will be rising at about 4 a.m.
Nanahope Auriga Kakuhihewa
The Bailer of Makalii. looped around their fingers. Scheat and will stand out with its
Pollux Manokalanipo
Makalii, or Pleiades, in The three stars in the belt distinctive red color in the

Komohana (west)
Alpheratz
Greek mythology means the of Orion point towards the Keawe early morning.

Hikina (east)
Kapuahi Markab
Seven Divine Sisters of Plei- northeast and Taurus, The Alderaan Makali‘i Pi‘ilani At about 6 a.m., observers
Puana
one. This starline depicts an Bull, and the star Aldebaran, Pleiades Algenib facing south, with a nice flat
Procyon
image of a bailer to scoop the eye of the bull. Aldeba- southern horizon, will be
out water filling the bottom ran is Arabic for “Follower” KEKAOMAKALI‘I Heiheionakeiki KALUPEAKAWELO VENUS able to catch the notable
Orion
of a canoe. because it follows after the shape of Hanaiakamalama,
The celestial arc’s outline Pleiades farther towards the A‘a the Southern Cross, stand-
Sirius Pi‘ikea
of the bailer begins with the northeast. Diphda ing upright. Next to this fa-
star Capella, Hokulei Makalii was associated mous shape will be the two
(Wreath of Stars), in the con- with the Makahiki in Hawaii, pointer stars, Kamailemua
Kukaniloko
stellation Auriga, the Goat a four-month season when Fomalhaut (Beta Centauri) and Ka-
M (S

Herder. Hokulei is an excel- the worship of the deity mailehope (Alpha Centauri).

riz na
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lent marker on the star com- Lono was observed. During Kamailehope, the more

ho Ko
on
u hor
M izo

W u
pass as it rises northeast this season, the Hawaiian Keali‘iokonaikalewa easterly of the two pointers,
al n

(S an
an )

Canopus

M
and sets northwest. community participated in is the closest star system to
ai

The arc traces from Ca- local harvest, the collection our solar system at only 4
pella to Gemini and the twin of taxes, and athletic compe- light-years away. While Ka-
stars Castor and Pollux, titions. Hema (south) mailemua (Beta Centauri)
Nanamua and Nanahope Throughout the South Pa- HIGHLIGHTS appears to have a similar
(Looking Forward and Look- cific, many cultures also rec- January moon phases level of brightness to its
>> Featured Starline: Our January through March
ing Back). The arc continues ognized the season, celebra featured starline returns us to Kekaomakali‘i, The other pointer, it is farther
in a southward direction to- ting it six months later and Bailer of Makali‘i. Makali‘i is the asterism, Pleiades, away at almost 400 light-
in Greek mythology it means the Seven Divine
wards Procyon, Puana, in calling it Matariki. Sisters of Pleione. This starline depicts an image of
years. Their brightness ap-
Canis Minor. a bailer to scoop out water filling the bottom of a FIRST FULL LAST NEW pear so similar because
The scoop of the bailer Evening observations canoe. We trace the outline of the bailer beginning 1/2 1/10 1/17 1/24 Kamailehope (Alpha Cen-
culminates with two of the During the main stargaz- with the star Capella, Hokulei (Wreath of Stars), in tauri) is a fainter star that is
the constellation Auriga, the Goat Herder. Hokulei, This star chart is oriented for an
brightest stars that form the ing hours, the bright planet is an excellent marker on our star compass as it closer and Kamailemua
observer looking up and facing south.
bailer’s handle. Sirius, Aa Venus will be visible in the rises northeast and sets northwest.
In this orientation, the Hikina (east)
(Beta Centauri) is a very
(Burning Brightly), in Canis southwest as the “evening >> Venus: During main stargazing hours the bright star that is farther
incredibly bright planet Venus will be visible in the horizon is on the left and the Komohana
Major, is the brightest star star.” southwest. Venus is the third brightest object we (west) horizon is on the right. away.
and the zenith star for Ta- In the northwestern sky is ever see in the sky, after the Sun and Full Moon.
hiti. Following the line the “W” shape of Iwakealii ———
southward, the bailer termi- (the royal frigate bird). Chad Kalepa Baybayan
nates with Canopus, Kealiio- About 20 degrees south of (Kalepa.Baybayan@hawaii.
konaikalewa (Chief of the the bird’s western wing, edu) serves as navigator-­in-
Southern Sky), the second careful observers will find a residence and Emily Peavy
brightest star. These stars small, faint, fuzzy object in Source: Polynesian Voyaging Society Archives Astronomy Center of Hawaii (Emily.Peavy@hawaii.edu)
form the bailer: the cup of the sky. This is the Androm- as planetarium technician
the scoop in the north and eda Galaxy, approximately support facilitator at the
its handle in the south. As 2.5 million-light years away, the Large and Small Magel- stars that cut across Kahei- namic Orion Nebula (M42), ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center of
the bailer rises in the east, it the closest full-sized galaxy lanic clouds and dwarf gal- heionakeiki (Orion), observ- one of the most famous stel- Hawaii, a center for informal
is filled with the three con- to the Milky Way and the axies, which are outside of ers will be able to make out lar nurseries in the sky. science education at the
stellations that are poured only object visible to the na- the plane of the Milky Way, a small faint smudge in the Within this gas and dust University of Hawaii at Hilo
out as it approaches the ked eye that is outside of are visible; however, these sky. Looking at this faint cloud, young stars are in the showcasing astronomy and
western horizon. Earth’s own galaxy. objects are gravitationally light through a good pair of process of being formed. Hawaiian culture as parallel
Filling the bailer is Orion It is worthy to note that a bound to the Milky Way. binoculars or a telescope, Overtime, astronomers on journeys of human explora-
and the three distinct stars number of globular clusters, Beneath the famous three observers will see the dy- Mauna Kea have also been tion.