Entries Tagged 'Science' ↓

The University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa will hold a Physics and Astronomy Open House from 8:30 a.m. to noon on Saturday, November 21. Eleven sites—including Watanabe Hall, Krauss Annex and the Physical Science Building—will feature physics and astronomy research and applications presented by Department of Physics and Astronomy faculty and students.

The public is invited to attend the 2009 open house, which will also draw high school teachers and their students. There will be physics demonstrations, and presentations on density and buoyancy, nanophysics, anti-matter, free electron laser, cosmic ray physics, astronomy, astrobiology, geo-neutrinos, the Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna (ANITA) project, and the Large Hadron Collider (LHC).

The welcome and overview will take place in the Hawai‘i Institute of Geophysics Auditorium at 8:30 a.m., with sites open from 9:00-11:00 a.m. for group visits, and 11:00 to noon for informal visits.

“This is an opportunity to learn what is happening in physics and astronomy in Hawaii and elsewhere,” said Michael Jones, an Associate Physicist in the UH Mānoa Department of Physics and Astronomy. “Attendees have found previous open house events to be interesting and enjoyable.”

A full schedule is available online in the News & Events section on the bottom of the Physics & Astronomy website at www.phys.hawaii.edu.

Big Island residents hoping to sleep in on Thanksgiving Day were shaken out of bed at about 9:20 this morning by a 5.0 magnitude earthquake. The quake struck about 13 miles north of Kailua Kona, not far from where a 6.7 magnitude earthquake hit on Oct. 15. This morning’s quake did not generate a tsunami, and unlike last month’s event, there are no reports of major damage. Power went out for some Big Island neighborhoods, but most are back online as of this report.

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An earthquake shook buildings and startled Honolulu and Molokai residents shortly after 8 p.m. last night, but did not cause any damage. The magnitude 3.6 event was centered offshore, 30 miles northeast of Kailua, according to readings from the Hawaii Volcano Observatory. Although relatively weak, the quake prompted some high-rise residents in Makiki and Waikiki to leave their buildings, and scientists received reports from as far away as Waialua and Kapolei. Stuart Weinstein of the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center told KGMB that the quake was far too weak to generate a tsunami, but it was certainly strong enough to rattle some people. A resident intereviewed by the station compared the sensation to a bomb blast, and another said he feared his building would collapse. The islands were shaken by a magnitude 4.5 quake off the coast of the Big Island only a month ago. As in that quake, KHNL reported, the cause was likely the settling of the Earth’s crust under the weight of the Hawaiian Islands.

High tide in Hawai’i has been unusually high in recent days, causing beaches to disappear, turning streets into lakes, and pushing the Ala Wai Canal to the brink of its banks. Star-Bulletin humor columnist Charles Memminger recently researched the bizarre situation in Mapunapuna, at the intersection of Ahua and Kilihau streets, where ocean tides at Keehi Lagoon and the storm drain system flood the area every day. Area businesses surrounding “Lake Ahua” barely blink an eye as tilapia swim past their driveways, and adjust their operations to work around flooded loading bays and countless stalled cars. KHON followed up with a report that revealed that spring tides have submerged whole stretches of popular Ala Moana beach, and brought the Ala Wai Canal’s infamous water within inches of spilling into Waikiki. Alignment between the sun and moon, coupled with higher sea levels overall, are behind the phenomenon, and scientists say it’ll happen again in early December… and may be even more pronounced then.

A “light” earthquake centered west of the Big Island shook the Hawaiian Islands shortly after 10 a.m. today, but was strong enough to be felt as far away as east O’ahu. According to the National Earthquake Information Center, the quake hit about 25 miles west of Kawaihae and about 40 miles south of Hana, five miles below the ocean floor. Public reports received by the USGS reveal hundreds of O’ahu residents, including over 50 in Kailua, reported feeling the quake quite strongly. Paula Bender, a freelance writer who also works at a Waimanalo research facility, said the earthquake shook the entire building. “I’m over here at Oceanic Institute all by myself in my office and the two beams positioned over my desk do the hustle,” she said. “I was glad it wasn’t a rockslide from the hills behind us! Also glad it didn’t generate a tsunami.”

For the first time in nearly a year, lava flowed into the ocean off the Big Island this weekend, treating scientists and hearty hikers to a spectacular sight. Since lava met the sea late Sunday, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) reports that the number of entry points has increased substantially, covering much of the Wilipe‘a lava delta and pouring over 7-10 meter cliffs. And a second, western prong of the flow could bring Pele’s ancient battle with the sea within viewing distance of the end of Chain of Craters road.

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Coral reefs, a vital part of the marine ecosystem, are increasingly threatened by ocean pollution, and researchers at the University of Hawai`i at Hilo (UHH) have been enlisted to look into the problem. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced yesterday that the UHH marine science department will receive $102,099 for the study, which will cover two coral reefs off the Kona coast. “The information gathered from the project will provide a better understanding of how coral reefs are affected by coastal developments and land-based pollution,” said EPA regional director Alexis Strauss. “It is important to the EPA that coral reefs are protected, as the reefs provide habitat for many marine species.”

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Over 1,500 plant biologists and specialists are descending upon Honolulu this weekend for some serious science talk. The annual meeting of the American Society of Plant Biologists will be held July 25-30 at the Hawai`i Convention Center, its sessions featuring titles like “The Plasma Membrane: A Happening Place!” On Saturday, Hilo-based scientist Dennis Gonsalves will receive an award from the group for his work in protecting local papaya crops from the devastating ringspot virus.

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An unmanned, solar-powered NASA plane crashed today during a test flight off Kaua`i, dealing a blow to the space agency’s long-term hopes of finding an affordable alternative to space satellites. According to NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center, the $15 million Helios prototype crashed during a test of its fuel cell system. The Helios had made history here two years ago, when it reached an altitude of about 18 miles — a record for a non-rocketpowered aircraft.

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Where did Hawaii’s volcanoes come from? Scientists have long believed that “hotspot” volcanoes that are located away from the edges of the earth’s plates — like Hawai`i — are caused by plumes of molten lava rising from deep within the Earth. But a recent article in the journal Science has cast some doubt on that theory.

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