Astronomical Highlights, 2005
Makahiki—Hawaiian New YearNovember 17 (Honolulu)
Makahiki, the Hawaiian New Year, is set by the rising of the Makali'i. This is the tiny group of stars that the Greeks call "the Pleiades." On November 17, from the latitude of Honolulu, the Makali'i rise over the eastern horizon at exactly the same time as the sun sets in the west (5:50 p.m.).
The rising of the Pleiades at sunset cannot actually be seen because the setting sun is still too bright to see any stars. This cluster will be visible in the east about 45 minutes after sunset, or about 6:30 p.m.
Another method of determining the Makahiki:
The Makahiki is sometimes determined by a combination of the rising of the Pleiades at sunset and the phases of the moon. In this method:
Take the sunset rising of the Pleiades on November 17. Wait for the next new moon. (This is the phase of the moon that cannot be seen, when the moon is right in between the earth and the sun.) This year the new moon is December 1.
The night when the slender crescent of moon is first visible after this new moon sets the date for Makahiki. Depending on the atmosphere, cloud cover, etc., this sliver of a young moon should be visible on December 3, marking the start of the new Hawaiian year.
Equinoxes and Solstices:
Spring Equinox
March 20, 2:34 a.m. Hawai'i Standard Time
Summer Solstice
June 20, 8:47 p.m. HST
Autumnal Equinox
September 22, 12:24 p.m. HST
Winter Solstice
December 21, 8:36 a.m. HST
Moon Phases 2005
| New Moon | First Quarter | Full Moon | Third Quarter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 3, 7:46 a.m. |
|||
| Jan 10, 2:03 a.m. |
Jan 16, 8:58 p.m. |
Jan 25, 12:33 a.m. |
Feb 1, 9:27 p.m. |
| Feb 8, 12:29 p.m. |
Feb 15, 2:17 p.m. |
Feb 23 , 6:54 p.m. |
Mar 3, 7:37 a.m. |
| Mar 9, 11:11 p.m. |
Mar 17, 9:20 a.m. |
Mar 25, 10:59 a.m. |
Apr 1, 2:51 p.m. |
| Apr 8, 10:33 a.m. |
Apr 16, 4:38 a.m. |
Apr 24, 12:07 a.m. |
Apr 30, 8:25 p.m. |
| May 7, 10:46 p.m. |
May 15, 10:57 p.m. |
May 23, 10:19 a.m. |
May 30 , 1:48 a.m. |
| June 6, 11:56 a.m. |
June 14, 5:20 a.m. |
June 21, 6:14 p.m. |
June28, 8:24 a.m. |
| July 6, 2:03 a.m. |
July 14, 5:20 a.m. |
July 21, 1:01 a.m. |
July 27, 5:20 p.m. |
| Aug 4, 5:05 p.m. |
Aug 12, 4:39 p.m. |
Aug 19, 7:54 a.m. |
Aug 26, 5:19 a.m. |
| Sept 3, 8:46 a.m. |
Sep 11, 1:37 a.m. |
Sep 17, 4:01 p.m. |
Sept 24, 8:41 p.m. |
| Oct 3, 12:28 a.m. |
Oct 10, 9:01 a.m. |
Oct 17, 2:14 a.m. |
Oct 24, 3:17 p.m. |
| Nov 1, 3:25 p.m. |
Nov 8, 3:58 p.m. |
Nov 15, 2:58 p.m. |
Nov 23, 12:12 p.m. |
| Dec 1, 5:02 a.m. Dec 30, 5:12 p.m. |
Dec 7, 11:37 p.m. |
Dec 15, 6:16 a.m. |
Dec 23, 9:46 a.m. |
| All times are Hawai‘i Standard Time. Add ten hours for Universal Time. | |||
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Lāhaina Noon dates, 2005
| Location |
Spring Lahaina Noon |
Summer Lahaina Noon |
| Līhu‘e, Kaua'i | May 30, 12:35 p.m. |
July 11, 12:43 p.m. |
| Kāne'ohe, O‘ahu | May 27, 12:28 p.m. |
July 15, 12:37 p.m. |
| Honolulu, O‘ahu | May 27, 12:28 p.m. |
July 15, 12:37 p.m. |
| Kaunakakai, Moloka'i | May 25, 12:25 p.m. |
July 17, 12:34 p.m. |
| Lāna'i City, Lāna'i | May 23, 12:24 p.m. |
July 18, 12:34 p.m. |
| Lāhaina, Maui | May 23, 12:23 p.m. |
July 18, 12:33 p.m. |
| Kahului, Maui | May 24, 12:23 p.m. |
July 18, 12:32 p.m. |
| Hāna, Maui | May 23, 12:21 p.m. |
July 19, 12:30 p.m. |
| Hilo, Hawai‘i | May 18, 12:17 p.m. |
July 24, 12:27 p.m. |
| Kailua-Kona, Hawai‘i | May 18, 12:20 p.m. |
July 24, 12:30 p.m. |
Background on Lāhaina Noon
In the tropics, there are two days each year when the sun is exactly overhead at local noon. This event only happens in the tropics; the sun is never overhead in the temperate or arctic zones of the world.
Since there was not a convenient single term for “that day when the sun is exactly overhead at local noon,” the Bishop Museum planetarium sponsored a contest twelve years ago to select a name for this event. “Lāhaina Noon” was the winner. “Lāhaina” means “cruel sun” in Hawaiian. One does not need to be in the town of Lāhaina, Maui, to see this event….anywhere in the tropics will do.
Lāhaina noon occurs only once on the tropic of Cancer, 23.5 degrees north of the equator, on the first day of summer. It occurs only once on the tropic of Capricorn, 23.5 degrees south of the equator, on the first day of winter. For all other locations in the tropics, this event occurs twice a year.
The closer a given latitude
is to the tropic of Cancer,
the closer the Lahaina noon
dates will be to June 21.
For instance, Lahaina noon
dates in Līhu‘e, Kaua‘i,
occur on May 31 and July
12. This is 21 days before
and 22 days after the first
day of summer on June 21.
Lāhaina noon dates
in Hilo, Hawai‘i,
much further south, occur
on May 18 and July 24. This
is 34 days before, and 33
days after, the June solstice.
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Major Meteor Showers 2005
Note: the peak time on any given shower is always after midnight,
when viewing of shooting star showers always gets better. So
when we say that the peaks of the Quadrantid shower, for instance,
is “evening of January 3/4,” this means “stay
up late on the night of January 3, and early in the morning
of January 4 look for showers.”
Information is also provided on the position of the moon
during the peaks of these showers. When there is a moon in
the sky during a shower’s peak, the meteor viewing is
considerably reduced
Quadrantid Meteor Shower
January 1 - 5
Peak: Evening of January 2/3
Viewing from Hawai‘i : This meteor shower comes from
a section of the constellation of Bootes that was once called
“Quadrans Muralis.” This old constellation name
survives only in the name of this shower, the “Quadrantid”
meteor shower.
Both the last quarter moon and Bootes rise around the same time past midnight, making this an unfavorable year for the Quandratids.
Lyrid Meteor Shower
April 16 - 25
Peak: Evening of Apr 21/22. Unfortunately, the moon is only 2 days away from full, and is in the sky the whole night. The area the meteors will appear to emanate from is called the radiant. The Lyrid radiant is close to the star Vega, the brightest star in the constellation Lyra, part of the three-constellation pattern known as the "Summer Triangle".
Eta Aquarid Meteor Shower
April 19 - May 28
Peak: Evening of May 4/5 or 5/6. This shower, along with the Orionids in October, are both associated with Halley's comet. The Eta Aquarids radiate from the constellation of Aquarius, which is a large and often difficult constellation to identify in the night sky. The radiant rises shortly after 2 A.M. the morning of the 5th, but a waning crescent moon makes this shower one of the more promising of the year.
Perseid Meteor Shower
July 17 - August 24
Peak: Evening of August 11/12.
Good year for the Perseids, which radiate from the constellation Perseus. The moon is in a waxing crescent phase, making this a good year for this shower. The Perseids are associated with the debris from comet Swift-Tuttle, last seen in the solar system in 1992. The comet will next appear in our skies in 2126.
Orionid Meteor Shower
October 2 - November 7
Peak: Evenings of October 17/18 and 20/21. This is the second shower of the year associated with Halley's comet, however this year the waning gibbous to third-quarter moon spoils both prime viewing nights. The Orionids appear from the "club" area of Orion the Hunter, which rises very close to moonrise both nights.
Leonid Meteor Shower
November 14 - 21
Peak: Evening of November 16/17. The parent comet for this shower was closest to the sun in 1998, which caused a strong showing for the Leonids for a few years. However, as the comet recedes from the solar system the number of meteors continue to drop off. The Leonids radiant comes from the "head" of Leo the lion, which rises after midnight on the 18th. Unfortunately the moon, just two days after the full moon, rises just ahead of Leo.
Geminid Meteor Shower
December 7 - 17
Peak: Evenings of December 13/14. While the Geminids have been a good shower for awhile, this year is not a good year for viewing. The full moon falls on December 15 and will "wash out" the sky the whole night. The Geminids are distinctive for their association with an asteroid, not a comet, that produced the dust and debris that falls through Earth's atmosphere.
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Other astronomy events in 2005:
January 9:
Earth at perihelion (closest approach to the sun) at 3 p.m.
Hawai‘i Standard Time.
January 10, July 21, August 18:
Moon at perigee (closest distance to Earth in its orbit) and new Moon phase on the same day--higher than normal tides expected.
January 12:
Saturn at opposition. Will rise in the east at sunset and will be visible in the sky all night.
January 24:
Comet c/2004 Q2 Machholz at perihelion. (Closest to the sun in its path) Starting from Perseus in January, it may become naked-eye around the end of the month until its path takes it toward the NE near Polaris in March, where it will start to recede from view.
Chinese New Year. In any given year, Chinese New Year is determined by the new moon that occurs before February 20. This year that new moon falls on February 8, 2005 at 12:29 p.m. Hawai‘i Standard Time. In eastern China, where the date is determined, it is on the other side of the dateline, so the Chinese New Year falls on February 9.
March 20:
Vernal or Spring equinox at 2:34 a.m.
April 3:
Daylight Savings Time begins. Move clocks ahead one hour, except for these areas: Hawai‘i, American Samoa, most of Arizona and Indiana, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
April 8:
Annular-total eclipse of the sun. An annular eclipse is similar to a partial eclipse, where the moon does not cover the entire surface of the sun. The sun is left with a "ring" around the outside of the moon, instead of a "bite" out of the side. At one point the eclipse becomes total for 42 seconds. The path of this eclipse starts in the southern Pacific and moves toward South America. Hawaii is completely outside of the path and will miss the entire event.
April 16:
ASTRONOMY DAY
April 24:
Penumbral eclipse of the moon. We are in a good spot to view this eclipse, which happens around 1 a.m. that morning when the moon is high above in the sky. However, penumbral eclipses are not easy to discern because the shadowing effect is so slight.
June 20:
Summer soltice at 8:47 p.m.
July 4:
Earth at aphelion (furthest distance from the sun) at
8 p.m. Hawai‘i Standard Time.
September 22:
Autumn or Fall equinox at 12:24 p.m.
October 3:
Annular eclipse of the sun. (See April 8) This eclipse is also not visible in Hawai‘i. Unlike the annular-total eclipse in April, this eclipse will not be total at any time. The path of this eclipse begins in the northern Atlantic and will be visible through most of Europe and Africa.
October 16/17:
Partial eclipse of the moon. Occurs just after midnight in Hawaii between the night of Oct. 16 and morning of Oct. 17. Only about 1/30 of the moon's surface will be eclipsed, but we should still be able to see the distinct curve of the shadow.
October 29:
Mars closest to Earth. Not as close as it was in 2003, but the closest it will be until 2018. Now shines at a magnitude of -2.3 at a distance of 43 million miles.
October 30:
Daylight Saving Time ends for most of mainland U.S. and Canada. (Daylight Saving Time is not observed in Hawai‘i). Those affected should turn clocks back one hour.
November 6:
Mars at opposition. (Rises at the same time the sun sets)
December 21:
Winter soltice at 8:36 a.m.
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Bishop Museum sky information lines
808.848.4136 for pre-recorded sky information and planetarium
schedule.