Astronomy

And the winner of the first first Big Island Now/Kauaʻi Now poll is …

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It seems that an ancient visitor from the far reaches of the galaxy has captured the imaginations of Big Island Now and Kauaʻi Now readers.

Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF). Image: Dan Bartlett/Courtesy of NASA.

The results of the first Big Island Now poll are in, and the rare green comet — Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) — that flew through our solar system and made a 26-million-mile flyby of Earth at the beginning of February for the first time in 50,000 years was the No. 1 pick.

Readers were asked “What’s your favorite extraterrestrial event in 2023?” and the comet garnered one-quarter of the total vote, edging out the Blue Swirl.

Here are the results:

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The comet and blue swirl tied with 25% each as the top choices for Big Island readers. Kaua‘i readers, however, tapped the auroras discovered on several of Jupiter’s moons as their favorite; it received 41% of the Kaua‘i Now vote.

Two of the choices, the blue swirl and green lasers, were captured by the Subaru-Asahi Star Camera at the Subaru Telescope atop Maunakea on the Big island. Check out todayʻs story about the camera and all of the out-of-this-world — and awesome atmospheric — events it’s captured in the past several months.

And be sure to vote in our next poll on Monday, in which we ask: “Which profession do you think is ‘Tough As Nails’?

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Nathan Christophel
Nathan Christophel is a full-time reporter with Pacific Media Group. He has more than 25 years of experience in journalism as a reporter, copy editor and page designer. He previously worked at the Hawaii Tribune-Herald in Hilo. Nathan can be reached at [email protected]
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