When I visited the Bishop Museum the other day, I took time to go to three different planetarium shows. All three were awesome. The first one took us on a journey through the solar system to explore various moons beginning with our own moon.The view we got was up close and personnel. We saw so many different landmarks including the remainder of the moon landing. We learned about the difference in temperatures between the bright and the dark sides. We actually flew over the surface so I experienced a bit of motion sickness I never feel in real life.
From the Earth, we ventured out to Jupiter with its 65 different moons, several of which orbit Jupiter nicely while others orbit in weird paths, some even move backwards. The program took time to look at the ones closest to the planet, even going so far as to diver under the "sea" so we could experience it. Then it was off to Saturn and its rings. The theory is that a moon got too close to Saturn and broke up into minute pieces which formed into the rings we see today. Some of its moons orbit between the rings.
The final stop was at Mars where we saw its two moons. I loved who we swooped through the Solar System to see these planets and their moons while getting some very up close and personal examinations. It was breathtaking and beautiful.
The second program educated us as to what we were most likely to see. This is considered one of the best times to see the Southern Cross. I walked out to the beach that evening but couldn't quite see the stars due to the light pollution. The presenter showed us the planets were might see if conditions were right and all the possible stars including Polaris or the North Star, along with the big and small dippers and other constellations. The time went way too fast.
The final and longest program examined the method of navigation used by the ancient Hawaiians and the Hawaii star compass. The early sailors used the Seven Sisters as their main point. The Seven Sisters is diagonally located from Orions belt through the eye of the bull and down to the Seven Sisters. They are one of the important constellations for traveling to and from Hawaii. This program interspersed interactive instruction with a video clip of what the Hawaiians had to do to relearn celestial navigation.
They had to bring a man up all the way from the South Pacific to teach several Hawaiians on the long journey from Hawaii down to Tahiti back the the late 20th century. From what they said, it is more than just reading the night sky. It is knowing and understanding the ocean, its currents, the weather, and how to continue the journey when you can't see the sky.
The other interesting thing is that if a star rises in the north east, it will set in the north west which is different to what we think it should be. Our first instinct is to say if it rises in the north east, it will set in the south west but when stars travel across the sky, they go straight across, not diagonally. By the end of the presentation, we understood the Hawaiian star calendar and how it applied to the sky. We also saw how the Hawaiians revived a skill that had disappeared into oblivion.
Yes, I'm a geek and I loved all three of the presentations. I love learning new things and this allowed me a chance to learn more about astronomy from a cultural perspective. Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear. Have a great day.
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