Figure 1：Red sprite appearing over Maunakea. This is a rare and momentary electric discharge event that occurs 50-90 km above thunderstorm clouds. Keen viewers on the Subaru-Asahi Star Camera live-stream did not miss these momentary phenomena. (Credit: NAOJ & Asahi Shimbun)
From the end of January to February 2023, three images captured by the Subaru-Asahi Star Camera attracted worldwide attention. The first was a "blue spiral" captured on January 18, the second was "green laser light" on January 28, and the third was a "red sprite" on February 4. In response to many media inquiries, the first two were posted on the Subaru Telescope website. As part of reporting on the "red sprite," local media requested a comment from an astronomer of Subaru Telescope about how exciting the past month has been. In response, Dr. Ichi Tanaka, who supports the live streaming of the Subaru-Asahi Star Camera, provided the following comments.
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The "blue spiral" and "green lasers" in the sky have become quite a hit among the media. They are both really amazing views even to me. But I should stress that all the 'rare' events our camera captured recently relate to human activity, except the "red sprite."
These views really reminded me that we are in the 21st century. Like me, anyone who dreamed of space exploration in their childhood probably think that the 21st century is the era of space exploration. Yes, it is, and these recent events all prove this. You may think these views are unusual, but they will become more and more regular over the next 10 years. Our frontier is already shifting to the Moon, Mars, and the objects in the inner Solar System; and all the cutting-edge technologies will find applications in space. These views are just a slice of such aspects of the current era.
Technological advances surely helped in allowing us to record them. The Subaru-Asahi Star Camera has high sensitivity. It can detect faint and rapidly moving things quite accurately. The live-stream platform offered by YouTube is another great service. Through the live feed, we can send the beauty of the sky over Maunakea to the world! It is indeed a super amazing technological convenience.
Thanks to the dark skies and high clear-sky ratio here, people can enjoy the view of the starry sky (without light pollution!) ALMOST EVERY NIGHT. And you know, every night has drama: the slowly moving view of stars and planets, occasional meteors, artificial satellites, and sometimes comets, clouds, and the beautiful morning sky: they are simply beautiful. People gather at the live feed and enjoy the view by chatting, sharing their excitement and knowledge about science, etc. Of course, they occasionally find something rare. The events we have compiled at our Youtube Channel were of course brought to our attention by such keen and great viewers. It’s a new way of enjoying the sky, which I never imagined 10 years ago. Just amazing.
As an astronomer, I would be especially happy if children and young students in Hawai`i get interested in the stars and planets, and possibly in the deep Universe behind the view offered by the camera. The Universe itself is so beautiful and amazing. Learning about celestial objects is quite fun. It could be a life-long hobby that may make your life a little bit richer and broader.
Another thing I like about the Subaru-Asahi Star Camera is that the viewers know that this is the sky over Hawai`i! I am happy because, through this live stream, we can let people around the world know that the "true view of the starry sky" (which some of the people in big cities have already lost due to light pollution) still exists here in Hawai`i. When people visit Hawai`i Island, I hope they spend a bit of time going outside, maybe in a slightly rural area, and looking up at the sky. You will feel closer to the Universe. We are proud of this.
Ichi Tanaka (Senior Support Astronomer, Subaru Telescope)
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