Next New Moon is July 9
West Hawaii Astronomy Club
Club Meeting on Second Tuesday of Every Month at 6:00 p.m. HST by Zoom and when in person meetings resume, in Waimea at Keck.
Next New Moon is June 17
Annular Solar Eclipse in USA October 14, 2023
Total Solar Eclipse in USA April 8, 2024
Club Meetings for 2023
March 14 - Sonny Manley on Solar Astrophotography
April 11 - Dr. Christopher Hamilton on Volcanoes in the Solar System
Dr. Hamilton's research focuses on geological surface processes to better understand the evolution of the Earth and other planetary bodies. His specialty relates to volcanology and specifically to lava flows, magma-water interactions, and explosive eruptions using a combination of field observations, remote sensing, geospatial analysis, machine learning, and geophysical modeling. These topics provide insight into the evolution of planetary interiors, surfaces, and atmospheres through magma production, ascent, and volcanism.
August 8 - Professor Shane Byrne on “Exploring a dynamic Mars, one giant image at a time”
Long thought to be a dead relic of the ancient solar system, the surface of Mars is unexpectedly dynamic. Our high-resolution cameras orbiting Mars reveal flows on slopes, new impact craters forming, sand dunes moving, avalanches, dust devils, and a whole host of changing icy features. We also track rovers moving, robotic landers being covered by dust, and occasionally new spacecraft parachuting down to the surface.
Professor Shane Byrne at the University of Arizona is the acting-principal-investigator of NASA’s HiRISE camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and a co-investigator of the CaSSIS camera on ESA’s Trace Gas Orbiter mission. He and his students research the climate history and ice deposits of Mars.