Astronomy Contributing Editor Steve O’Meara lectures on volcano history and physics in front of the Kilauea Caldera, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, June 6, 2012. Photo credit: David J. Eicher
On Wednesday, June 6 (D Day!),
Astronomy’s Hawaiian travel groups took a bit of a detour from astronomy to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, to understand and absorb some volcanology. This is really planetary science, as Earth is a planet, too, and it gives us good perspective on volcanoes in the solar system, which include such favorite places as Mars and Io, as well as our home planet. Our travelers made the long trek of a couple hours’ bus ride from Kona over to the park, which stands on the southern part of the island.
We got a bonus and a delight because columnist and Contributing Editor Stephen James O’Meara, who lives near the park, joined us for the day. Steve is not only an expert amateur astronomer, as you know, but he and his wife Donna also are deeply interested and involved with volcanology. So Steve served as our impromptu tour guide, giving lectures and explaining what we were seeing as the tour went along.
Lush Hawaiian tropics reminiscent of a rainforest occupy parts of the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, June 6, 2012. Photo credit: David J. Eicher
We began at the center of it all — the Kilauea Caldera and Jaggar Museum, where Steve told us the basics of Hawaii’s volcanic history. When I was last here in 2007, Steve led a group of us on a long hike to the active lava flows, oozing down into the Pacific Ocean. The current flows are small and out of the way, requiring a long hike, so we concentrated on the park itself this time.
We drove all through the park and explored a great deal of basalt, lava tubes, and wilderness, lush with exotic jungle-like vegetation. The group walked through the Thurston Lava Tube, a very cool experience, and explored lots of features along Chain of Craters Road, which winds through many interesting landmarks, all the way down to the ocean. A bonus: native petroglyphs dated to roughly 800 years old pepper basaltic rocks in one area near the sea, and we explored them at great length.
It was a great day of planetary geology. Today, our first group departs for home, and the second group will hear me and Alex Filippenko give our lectures again, mine in the latest developments on astronomy and cosmology and on meteorites. Then we’ll have a special treat in seeing astronomical artist Jon Lomberg’s so-called Galaxy Garden, in which he has planted huge areas with trees and other plants to show the shape of the Milky Way. We’ll then have a great dinner cruise that will carry us alongside the northwestern side of the Big Island.
It strikes me at this point that someone could really get used to this Hawaii place. Just sayin’.
And be sure to check out all the images from this trip at www.Astronomy.com/transit.