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In Memorium: Dr. Richard Crowe
 The 'Imiloa Ohana is saddened by the unexpected passing of our dear friend and colleague, Dr. Richard Crowe, on May 26th. Richard was an exceptional astronomy educator and deeply involved in 'Imiloa from providing content for the exhibits, to developing planetarium programs for undergraduate students, helping with numerous events, and providing astronomy expertise. He will be greatly missed, but his star will always shine in our hearts.
Read the Hawaii Tribune-Herald article about Richard
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Transit of Venus 2012 Events on June 2 & 5
 In 1874, Kalakaua invited the world to view Venus transit the Sun. The Transit of Venus is among the rarest astronomical phenomena and won't happen again until the year 2117. Come and celebrate Hawaii's legacy of exploration and innovation at 'Imiloa. Don't miss out on this extremely special event! Read more and see the schedule for June 2nd and June 5th >
Read more about the AstroJazz performance on June 2 > |
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Maunakea Skies, June 16th at 7pm
Searching the eagle: Massive star formation in Aquila
In this month's Maunakea Skies presentation Dr. Harriet Parsons will focus on massive star formation in the W51 cloud complex that is found in the constellation of Aquila.
 | Credit: Spitzer / GLIMPSE, JAC.
Click image for a closer view. |
The complex is located at a distance 15 times further away than the famous Orion Nebula and lies along the Sagittarius arm of our Galaxy the Milky Way. These two factors pose many challenges to astronomers trying to uncover the secret to one of the most active star forming regions in our Galaxy. Using existing and new data from the James Clear Maxwell Telescope on Maunakea it is possible to examine current star formation in this dynamic region (a result of colliding clouds) and make predictions for the future of this complex.
 Dr. Harriet Parsons moved to Hilo just over a year ago to work for the Joint Astronomy Centre as a support scientist. This is her first job since completing her PhD at the University of Hertfordshire in the UK. In her spare time she enjoys paddling for Puna Canoe Club.
June 16th's Maunakea Skies will be hosted by Shawn Laatsch, 'Imiloa's Planetarium Manager. After the guest speaker's featured presentation, Shawn will provide observational highlights of the current night sky over Hawai'i, pointing out prominent constellations and stars one can see during this time of year.
The monthly Maunakea Skies planetarium presentations are held on the third Saturday of each month. Cost is $5 for Individual, Dual, Kupuna and Family members; $3 for Patron Members, Free for Silver, Gold and Corporate Members. Non-member rate is $8. Pre-purchase tickets at the 'Imiloa front desk or by phone at 969-9703. |
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Image of the Month
2004 Transit of Venus
Fred Espenak one of the leading experts in the world on eclipses and transits created this composite image of the Transit of Venus on June 8th of 2004. The black dots you see are the planet Venus taken at 40 minute intervals as it appears to cross the disk of the Sun. Transits of Venus are rare events happening in pairs separated by 8 years, then followed by 105 years. This image is from the last one, and we have an opportunity to see its pair on June 5th of this year. If you miss it, you will need to wait until 2117 until Venus transits the Sun again. |
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Iune (June) Skies 2012
Click image for a closer view and to read about about June highlights in the night sky.
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