Tuesday night I wanted to catch a glimpse of Comet Pan-STARRS as it made it's appearance in the night sky, just after sunset. I took Hōkūle`a with me and we headed up in the hills above Honolulu, to the trail head for the Kalawahine trail up on Tantalus (Pu`u `Ōhi`a). Hōkū and I enjoyed the sunset and the crescent moon while I set up to try and catch the comet. The view from Tantalus is amazing!
 |
| Looking west towards the airport and Kapolei. |
We stayed for about 45 minutes straining to see the dash of light in the sky. It was cold (65° F!!!), and I didn't see any comets, just the city lights and the sliver of a crescent moon. But... When I got home and went through some of the photos...there she was! The Pan-STARRS comet!
I'm grateful that I was able to witness this once in a lifetime sighting. Comet Pan-STARRS will not be around for another 106,000 years!
