Do you love to watch the stars in Hawaii? Hawaii star watching has some astronomical fireworks ready for you this December. We are warmly welcoming back Gerrit, our expert on watching the stars in Hawaii who first attracted your attention when writing his guest post about how to 'Watch a meteor shower in Hawaii'. So please, keep reading Gerrit's 3 reasons for star watching, when you will be visiting Hawaii next month.
3 Reasons for Star Watching in Hawaii in December
"Stargazing is often the best excuse if you don't want to go to sleep at night, but venture out on a memorable adventure. The Big Island of Hawaii is especially well suited for stargazing adventures because of its clear and dark skies. The best optical observatories of the world are built on the Big Island for a reason. Here are 3 reasons for you to go out and stargaze at night on your Hawaii vacation. Don't forget to take some pupus (pupu: typical Hawaiian picnic snacks) and picnic blanket + pillow or beach chair to recline in.
Watch total lunar eclipse in Hawaii December 10th
Lunar eclipses are not as rare as most people think. There are 2 to 4 lunar eclipses every year, but these eclipses are not visible from every location and are not always 'total' ('total' means that the complete moon becomes eclipsed). The December 10th 2011 lunar eclipse is a total eclipse and is perfectly visible from Hawaii (as well as from most of the United States)! The total lunar eclipse of December 10th 2011 will be visible from Hawaii during the early morning hours, as the moon sets in the western sky. The eclipse duration is 51 minutes, with the moment of greatest eclipse at 04:31 Hawaiian time. Because the moon will be low on the western sky the best place to watch this event is on the west coast of the Big Island.
For more information on this lunar eclipse, watch this two minute lunar eclipse video with a great lunar eclipse song ("moon dance" by Jim Morrison)
Watch Geminids Meteor Shower in Hawaii December 14th
Watch Geminids Meteor Shower in Hawaii December 14th
Meteor showers are a spectacular event to watch, with dozens of shooting stars visible each hour during their peak. Regular readers of Best Hawaii Vacation Blog probably remember the meteor shower article on the delta aquarids meteor shower of July 2011. I also recommend the lovebigisland meteor shower guide for and trivia good background information on meteor showers.
December 14th you have another chance to watch a meteor shower. This time the Geminids will light up the sky and give you a chance to make some wishes. Unfortunately, the moon is still almost full on the 14th (full moon is December 10th, during the lunar eclipse). The way around this is to avoid the moon and watch the meteor shower before the moon rises above the horizon. This happens on 21:59 on December 14th, which means that any stargazing that night is best done after sunset but before 10p.m.
December 21st: Southern Solstice - midwinter night
Last but not least there is the southern solstice. A solstice happens twice a year, and marks the time when the sun reaches the lowest (southern solstice from Hawaii) or highest (northern solstice from Hawaii) point on the sky. This also means that the shortest day and longest night in 2011 on Hawaii fall on December 21st. Solstices get really interesting on the polar circle, where the sun never rises during the solstice in wintertime, and never sets during the solstice in summertime! This won't happen on Hawaii but you can celebrate the fact that from December 21st on and for 6 months, the days will get longer again and the sun will keep getting higher on the sky (which means she will get stronger and warmer). What is a better reason for a celebration!"
Again mahalo Gerrit for this great information on star watching in Hawaii. Gerrit is an often returning visitor to the Big Island and writes for lovebigisland and the lovebigisland blog. Lovebigisland.com promotes sustainable tourism and has a special focus on astronomical events on Hawaii.
We love to hear from you and your Hawaii star watching adventures. Hope this Hawaii star watch post will trigger your curiosity for a Hawaii star watching outing this December. Mahalo and aloha, Pua Hawaii Vacations
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