After steaming for 20 hours overnight – a distance of some 390 statute miles – back down the chain of Hawaiian Islands we arrived in the pretty port of Hilo on the largest island Hawai’I but the lowest density of population with only 125,000 inhabitants largely due to the volcanic activity. It was a perfect blue sky revealing snow on the summit of Mauna Kea, an extinct volcano, and the highest point on the island at 4205 feet. I was to learn later that this island, being the furthest east in the Hawaiian chain, receives the prevailing weather systems arising on the west coast of North America first. Its weather therefore can be unpredictable with some 200 inches of rainfall a year and this morning we were lucky to view Mauna Kea in all her beauty. By late afternoon she had drawn a veil across her summit and heavy rain showers followed us out of the harbour but that was later; I was here to take my second helicopter flight called ‘Circle of Fire’ to witness form above the current volcanic activity.
I will mention however that you may be able to sees in the centre of the just photo some 13 observatory domes currently undertaking research into the ‘black hole’ that sits at the centre of our Milky Way Galaxy and that gives rise to its spiral shape.
No comments:
Post a Comment