Whichever holidays you celebrate, may you have joy and peace.
Maui celebrates today with Peahi (Jaws) breaking at about 15-20 feet. Check out this amazing live footage captured by Adam Burgasser:
Happy Holidays from Maui!
Checking pets to and from Hawaii
Question from a reader: What are the airlines’ rules for kennels to transport pets as checked cargo/baggage to and from Hawaii?
Answer:
American Airlines provides the most specific details on which size of pet (dog or cat) kennel / crate they allow. According to their website:
Pets Traveling as Checked Baggage
The maximum size for checked kennels is a series 500 kennel with the following dimensions: 40″ long x 27″ wide x 30″ high. However, this size kennel is not accepted on the Boeing MD-80 (S80). Kennels checked on MD-80s must be able to fit through the cargo door while remaining in an upright position. MD-80 cargo doors are 29″ high x 53″ wide.
Series 700 kennels are not allowed on any aircraft.
The maximum weight of a checked pet and kennel (combined) cannot exceed 100 lbs.
Collapsible Kennels (those which can fold down flat) can not be accepted due to the risk of collapse during transport.
Pets Traveling as Carryon
The maximum size for cabin pet carriers is 23″ long x 13″ wide x 9″ high.
Other domestic airlines are likely to have similar guidelines, but they aren’t posted. I suggest calling your desired airline to check before booking a ticket.
Remember that the FAA also imposes runway temperature restrictions for pets. Generally, pets are only allowed to travel when the runway is not more than 85 degrees F and not less than 45 degrees F. An exception can be made to 20 degrees F, if a veterinarian certifies that the pet is acclimated to lower temperatures. No exceptions are allowed over 85 degrees (think Dallas in summer) or under 20 degrees (think Boston in winter).
Basic health requirements must also be met, including original proof of vaccination for rabies for pets departing Hawaii. For pets traveling to Hawaii, stringent health rules apply. Learn more about those from the state quarantine office. Due to state budget cuts, the inspection facility at Honolulu Airport has reduced its hours as follows:
Effective December 1, 2009 inspection hours for dog and cats at Honolulu International Airport (HNL) will be between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily, including weekends and holidays. This information is particularly important for those who are qualifying their pets for direct release at the airport. Pet owners should be sure to arrange for their flights to arrive by 3:30 p.m. because it may take up to one hour for the airlines to transport a pet to the Airport Animal Quarantine Holding Facility and animals not arriving at the facility by 4:30 p.m. will not be released at the airport that day. Pets arriving in the late afternoon and evening will be held overnight until inspections are completed the following morning. Pet owners who are connecting to neighboring islands should pay particular attention to the change in inspection hours. (An advisory was posted on this website on August 17, 2009 to advise pet owners of the probability of reduced inspection hours.)
Observing around Keck’s laser beam
The dome of the WM Keck Observatory, located atop Mauna Kea on Hawaii’s Big Island, opened just past sunset yesterday for a night of routine observing. Part of the nightly routine for some Keck astronomers is aiming and shooting a laser beam into night sky.
The laser shoots high into earth’s upper atmosphere, creating an artificial star used to help astronomers focus the telescope on regions of the sky where there are few or no bright stars, according to Keck’s website. The laser helps scientists study darker areas of the cosmos.
But what impact does the laser have on astronmers observing with different nearby telescopes? Little, according to Adam Burgasser, assistant professor of physics at UCSD (and full disclosure, my partner, over who’s shoulder I peeked while he was observing last night with the UH 2.2-meter telescope).
Burgasser could see the Keck laser in his field of view and paid attention to its location using a software program. But most of the celestial objects he planned to observe were located no where near the laser beam, and the laser had no real impact on his work.
Still, there is a possible conflict for astronomers wanting to observe an object located in the laser’s path. Those scienists might have to wait until the laser moves before focusing on that part of the sky.
(Below) This image of Keck’s laser beam was taken by A Burgasser, who was observing from the neighboring UH 2.2-meter telescope using the all-sky camera at 7:42pm HST in a good clear sky (0″5 seeing).
