A Darker View

A hippopotamus resting in the Kazinga Channel

The start of a dark night at Kaʻohe on the side of Mauna Kea

Living with active volcanoes, one gets to see new landforms appear regularly.

A dawn crowd watching episode 45 from the Keanakakoʻi Overlook at Kilauea Caldera

Today the planet Neptune will pass through opposition, directly opposite the Sun in our sky.

The tall lava fountain of episode 45 in Kilauea Caldera as photographed from the Keanakakoʻi Overlook with Mauna Loa in the background, on the morning of April 23 , 2026

Cleaning out an entire business operation has led to a few discoveries.

Photographing the September 2023 eruption at Kilauea

Royal Poinciana blooms in the light of sunset

It is a wee bit active out there… Hurricanes Lowell and Karina churn the ocean either side of the islands on September 4th, 2026 Three major hurricanes are wandering the eastern Pacific right now, two uncomfortably close to the islands.

An elephant visits the Kazinga Safari Lodge at Katunguru, Uganda

I had not been back for over four decades.

A large dobsonian set up at Oregon Star Party 2023

Lala was not our first hurricane.

Talking about the design of a large short focal length dob during the OSP2023 telescope walkabout

Telescopes awaiting darkness at Oregon Star Party 2023

It has become my habit to take a forest hike whenever I find myself back in the Pacific Northwest.

If I were to use one word to decribe a recent visit to the park it would be… Crunchy.