Mars rounds Polaris.
February 6th, 2010
The sky was very clear the other night, perfect for star trails! Mars is the very bright streak on the right side of the above photo. I got really lucky with this first image! In the upper left corner you can barely see three faint streaks running perpendicular to the stars. (Right click to view a slightly larger image.) I am not sure exactly what they are but they took approximately 90 seconds to travel the recorded paths. (Maybe iridium flares from orbiting satellites?) Below you can see Polaris at the center of the star trails. It looks like a stationary point but it is not true celestial North so there is a little bit of wobble.
I was so excited about actually seeing Lulin that I posted that image out of sequence. We actually started our star gazing in the fields of Wahiawa. Usually a great place to view the night sky but that night was far too cloudy (at the time we arrived). We continued on to Mokuleia — clouds or not, it is much darker out there. Sure enough, the sky was star studded! Venus was clearly visible and lit up the western most sky, over Kaena Point (not pictured). Unfortunately, the clouds caught up with us and made viewing rather frustrating. Oh and let me not forget the constant 30 MPH BLAST of wind from the ocean!
Certainly not the greatest of star trail images. But, I am just glad that I was able to get something out of the trip. These semi-successful photo junkets are actually more valuable than one would think. We were able to really torture test our methods, equipment, and even our clothes / footwear. Field testing is often much more valuable than the images we capture. 
Early this morning @ 2:33am, I was finally able to find the Comet Lulin. By that time it was very high in the sky — almost directly over head. It was very difficult to aim and follow with my telescopic focal length. But the near zenith position offered a pleasant surprise: diminished contamination from Earth based light pollution.
The moon was full last night. But due to less than “ideal” viewing, I decided to take a departure from my standard documentary astronomy. The air was very still. (“Kona weather” is what we call it.) As a result there was a continuous layer of patchy clouds that lingered, long after moonrise. In addition, the vog –from increased Kilauea activity– wrapped everything in a haze. However, all that moisture and particulate matter –combined with the light of the full moon– made for a most incredible nebulous effect of light, color, and texture.
This second image is my favorite from last night’s departure. The color and texture of the clouds on the bottom edge captivate me. (Reason for my repositioned watermark — the original image orientation is vertical.) I just couldn’t bring myself to cover up the most interesting part of my composition. Although, after looking at it for a while, I think I will crop the top edge a little. 
