Volcano Update! There were technological leaps in volcano watching even 75 years ago...

Reprinted from here.

The Mauna Loa 1933 summit eruption on Dec. 3 showing two lava rivers and Hualalai in the background. The photo was taken by a Navy photographer in an amphibian plan circling the summit.

By the time Babe Ruth had played baseball with the Waiakea Pirates and planted a banyan tree in Hilo in late October, 1933, enough strong earthquakes had shaken Mauna Loa to warrant a closer investigation. In early November, a trek to the summit of the great volcano revealed gas puffing from a cone built during the 1914 eruption and dense fume from the sunken area around it - and a sense of foreboding.

The wait wasn't long. At 5:43 a.m. on Saturday, December 2, 1933, HVO seismographs started recording seismic tremor suggesting that an eruption had begun on Mauna Loa. From a distance, two dense gas plumes could be seen by 7 a.m.; three were visible by 9 a.m. Pele's hair fell on the town of Ho`okena and Honaunau 35 km (22 miles) southwest of the summit. There was no sign of lava outside the rim of Moku`aweoweo caldera.

At the start of the eruption, whatever could be witnessed from settled areas mostly near the coast was all that was known to the world. Mauna Loa was "staging a spectacle for the gods," as the Honolulu Advertiser reported, because there were no mortals to witness its beginning.

That was soon to change, because volcano watching had been significantly upgraded since Mauna Loa last erupted 7 years earlier.

Word of the eruption quickly reached Lorrin Thurston of the Honolulu Advertiser and Stan Kennedy of Inter-Island Airways, the predecessor to Hawaiian Airlines, via the newly developed radio-telephone early that morning. They hatched a plan.

Inter-Island Airways, then in operation for only 4 years, scheduled the first-ever Hawai`i volcano-watching flight for 11 a.m. from Rodgers field outside Honolulu. On board were Kennedy, 2 Advertiser reporters, a Naval photographer, and 5 other lucky souls. The flight took nearly 3 hours in a Sikorsky S38 amphibian plane, but the weather was clear and, upon arrival, the views were fantastic.

A second flight started from Hilo at about the same time with National Park superintendent Wingate aboard. Thomas Jaggar, who was not a fan of flying, left for the summit, as he always had, by horse.

A few minutes after the planes became airborne, three Army privates arrived at the crater rim on foot. They had been awakened at the Rest House at 10,000' elevation by the early morning earthquakes accompanying the eruption. They later described seeing 12 fountains along a 3-km-(2 miles) long fissure producing lava flows that covered half the floor of Moku`aweoweo Crater.

What they couldn't see was lava cascading from the fissure into two smaller pit craters to the south of Moku`aweoweo, but this scene awed the Inter-Island plane passengers. One of the reporters described it as a "Niagara Falls of white hot lava pouring furiously into the crater over the southwest rim from a vent just above the edge."

As the eruption progressed, hundreds more airline passengers witnessed the changes first-hand. After these tour flights, more than one reporter broadcast their descriptions over local radio stations to an eager audience. Many sturdy residents also made the trip on foot and horseback with the help of guides from Kilauea Military Camp and Hawai`i National Park (as it was known then).

A week after the eruption started, a phone line to the Pu`u `Ula`ula Resthouse, installed the previous summer, was extended to the summit by Army and Park Service volunteers. For the first time, a Mauna Loa summit eruption was described live from the crater floor over radio station KGU.

The eruption lasted 18 days, and lava never left the crater. Jaggar did eventually take a reconnaissance flight. He recognized the advantages of aerial reconnaissance right away: "… this was the first time in the history of Mauna Loa when its summit eruption was repeatedly so inspected, by regular passenger planes. By this method far more could be determined in a few minutes, concerning the progress of the eruption, exploring from an airport (65 km or 40 miles) away, than through days and weeks of camping trips, wherein only a small part of the field could be seen at one time."

Seventy-five years later, amphibian propeller planes and wired telephones have been replaced by turbo-jet helicopters, webcams, and cell phones. But the air tour business will continue to thrive as long as Hawai`i volcanoes continue to erupt.

Activity update

Kīlauea Volcano continues to be active. A vent in Halema`uma`u Crater is emitting elevated amounts of sulfur dioxide gas and has resumed producing small amounts of ash. Resulting high concentrations of sulfur dioxide in downwind air have closed the south part of Kīlauea caldera and produced occasional air quality alerts in more distant areas, such as Pahala and communities adjacent to Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, during kona wind periods. An increase in glow, gas-rushing sounds, and ash production over the past week indicates that lava may have risen to a shallower level beneath the vent.

Pu`u `Ō`ō continues to produce sulfur dioxide at even higher rates than the vent in Halema`uma`u Crater. Trade winds tend to pool these emissions along the West Hawai`i coast, while Kona winds blow these emissions into communities to the north, such as Mountain View, Volcano, and Hilo.

Lava erupting from the Thanksgiving Eve Breakout (TEB) vent at the eastern base of Pu`u `O`o continues to flow to the ocean at Waikupanaha through a well-established lava tube. Breakouts from a western branch of the lava tube were active on the coastal plain near the National Park boundary in the past week and reached the ocean late on January 21 or early January 22. This tiny, new ocean entry is located very close to the long-buried Waha`ula Heiau and National Park visitor center.

Be aware that active lava deltas can collapse at any time, potentially generating large explosions. This may be especially true during times of rapidly changing lava supply conditions. The Waikupanaha delta has collapsed many times over the last several months, with three of the collapses resulting in rock blasts that tossed television-sized rocks up onto the sea-cliff and threw fist-sized rocks more than 200 yards inland.

Do not approach the ocean entry or venture onto the lava deltas. Even the intervening beaches are susceptible to large waves generated during delta collapse; avoid these beaches. In addition, steam plumes rising from ocean entries are highly acidic and laced with glass particles. Call Hawai`i County Civil Defense at 961-8093 for viewing hours.

Mauna Loa is not erupting. Two earthquakes were located beneath the summit this past week. Continuing extension between locations spanning the summit indicates slow inflation of the volcano, combined with slow eastward slippage of its east flank.

Two earthquakes beneath Hawai`i Island were reported felt within the past week. A magnitude-3.9 earthquake occurred at 2:55 a.m., H.s.t., on Sunday, January 17, 2009, and was located 9 km (5 miles) south and offshore of Kalapana at a depth of 42 km (26 miles). A magnitude-3.1 earthquake occurred at 6:23 a.m. on Thursday, January 22, and was located 11 km (7 miles) southeast of Waiki`i at a depth of 11 km (7 miles).

Visit our Web site (http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov) for daily Kīlauea eruption updates, a summary of volcanic events over the past year, and nearly real-time Hawai`i earthquake information. Kīlauea daily update summaries are also available by phone at (808) 967-8862. Questions can be emailed to askHVO@usgs.gov.

For more information about traveling to Hawaii in general, and for seeing the eruptions of Kilauea in particular, please visit www.tourguidehawaii.com and www.lovingthebigisland.wordpress.com.

Hawaii's Sky Tonight!

Reprinted from here.

Skywatch Article
July 2008
By Carolyn Kaichi, Bishop Museum

PLANETS AND THE SUMMER MILKY WAY

The interesting thing about sky-watching is the fact that although the seasonal constellations are predictable, what you may see at any designated time is not. Planetary movement and other recurring events take place on different cycles than the background of stars so we can’t always count on seeing the same combination of sights in the sky at the same times. That keeps me in business.

So what we will see in the sky this July is not unusual, but a fortunate arrangement of celestial constituents that will be easy and convenient to view. Four naked-eye planets dot the evening skies this month, with two staging a nice pairing together and beautiful Venus making its reappearance back into the night. Although it might be challenging to spot Venus low in the western sky after sunset during the first half of the month, by the end of the July it will be climbing higher out of the light and easier to spot.

A nice highlight will be the conjunction of Mars and Saturn in the constellation Leo on July 9 and 10. The rust-colored planet and pale yellow Saturn have been slowly creeping closer over the past weeks and will be at their closest on those two dates (although the 10th is technically the closest date, both nights are good for viewing). Included in the lineup is the brightest star in Leo, Regulus, which is on that planet highway called the ecliptic. As a bonus, on July 5 a small crescent Moon joins the group as Mars closes in. That evening going from west to east, you can see the Moon next to the star Regulus, followed by Mars and Saturn. Make sure you start early however, because this gathering will set by 10:00 P.M.

Jupiter is also impressive in the east as the sun sets. The giant planet is at opposition now, meaning that it is on the opposite side of our sky than the sun (think “Sun, Earth, Jupiter” in that order). It appears bigger and brighter in the night sky at this time and is visible in the sky the whole night. Now would be a great time to take out a pair of binoculars and look for the famous features that characterize Jupiter, like the Galilean satellites and the distinct bands of color on the planet. The monster hurricane, the Great Red Spot, is visible with telescopes but not necessarily with average binoculars.

While the planets steal the spotlight this month, don’t forget to pay attention to the summer Milky Way! The hazy band of light extending from north to south is part of the galaxy we reside in and offers many binocular and telescopic sights along the way. The area roughly between Scorpius’ stinger and Sagittarius’ “spout” is particularly wide since that direction is the bulbous center of our galaxy, approximately 26,000 light years away. Rather than individual points of light we see the accumulation of the millions of stars obscured by gas and dust. Right now you can see the Milky Way stretching from the southwest in the direction of the Southern Cross (early in the evening) through the Summer Triangle toward Perseus in the northeast in the early morning hours.

EVENING PROGRAM UPDATE

With so many objects to look for in the skies, it’s difficult to cram everything into one article every month. Consider our planetarium as the next best thing to the real sky, one with a personal “guide” to the stars. An evening program is held on the first Fridays of the month, with sky viewing if the weather is clear. However since it falls on the 4th of July this month, the program has been moved to Friday, July 11. It begins promptly at 8:00 P.M. and reservations are strongly recommended. Call 848-4168.

PHOENIX UPDATE

The Phoenix lander is busily performing its tasks since touchdown on Mars a little over a month ago. What the mission has already done for space exploration was demonstrated by the difficult EDL phase, or Entry, Descent and Landing. Many previous missions were lost in this critical phase, including the predecessor of Phoenix, and since one of the science goals of the mission is to prepare for human exploration, NASA had to prove that landing a craft on Mars has improved dramatically. It appears that goal is well on its way. See http://phoenix.lpl.arizona.edu/ for more information.

The Planets

Earth:

The second of two annual opportunities to experience Lahaina Noon comes this month. Between May and July the sun passes directly overhead for areas within the Tropics. During Lahaina Noon objects that are directly perpendicular to the sun, such as flagpoles or fences, have no shadows since the “shadow” would be cast “under” the object. Times vary by location, so check the website for more information: www.bishopmuseum.org/planetarium

Also, aphelion takes place on July 3, the Earth’s farthest point in its orbit around the sun. Coincidentally the Moon is in a new phase at the same time, so the effect of the tides will be enhanced. Higher tides than normal usually occur during this alignment.

Mercury:

Mercury is in the morning sky now, rising around 4:30 A.M. in early July. By the last week it will be too close to the sunrise to spot as it rounds around the backside of the sun to reappear in the evening sky.

Venus:

For the casual viewer, Venus will be very difficult to spot until mid-month, when it is a little farther from the sun in the western sky at sunset. However the “window” to see it will be short for this month since the planet sets before darkness by 8:00 P.M.

Mars:

Mars is cruising through Leo, meeting up with Saturn along the way and by the end of the month will pass through the constellation on the way to Virgo. The planet is slowly receding from us in its orbit and dimming as it goes, but is still easily visible to the unaided eyes.

Jupiter:

Jupiter reaches opposition on the evening of July 9, rising in the east as the sun sets. If the weather is nice, this is an excellent night to see the four evening planets in the sky. You will need to get somewhere you can see all the way to the western horizon, and starting from that point shortly after sunset (around 7:30 P.M.) look for Venus low in the west, followed by Mars and Saturn close together about halfway up in the western sky and Jupiter rising in the east.

Saturn:
Although Mars and Saturn are set for a rendezvous Saturn’s position changes very little with respect to the starry background. The ringed planet is much farther away than our neighbor Mars, therefore orbiting the sun at a slower rate of speed. Where Mars orbits the sun in almost 687days, Saturn takes 29.5 years!

Questions? Contact Carolyn Kaichi @ hokupaa@bishopmuseum.org or 847-8203.

For more information on visiting Hawaii in general or touring the Big Island in particular, go to www.tourguidehawaii.com or here.