Hawaiian Starlight

  • Jean-Charles Cuillandre
Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope Corporation: 2009. 43 min. $15
Credit: CANADA-FRANCE-HAWAII TELESCOPE/COELUM

Mention Hawaii and most people think of beaches and palm trees. I think of Mars. During my sole visit to Hawaii as a trainee astrophysicist, I stayed on Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano with barren cinder cones of reddish hue. Dry, cool, oxygen-poor — it was the most extreme environment I'd ever experienced and I think of it often. With the movie Hawaiian Starlight by Jean–Charles Cuillandre, I was transported back to the stark beauty of the summit.

Seven years in the making, the film uses time-lapse photography to showcase the telescopes, the mountain, the sky and the cosmos. All the true-colour images were taken by the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope (CFHT). Some of the colours of the nebulae and galaxies are so vivid that it's hard to believe that they haven't been digitally enhanced. The accompanying music by Martin O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori heightens this sensory feast.

Despite being thirty years old this year, the 3.6 metre optical/infrared CFHT can still hold its own among the newer telescopes. One of its main advantages is the site. Mauna Kea is nearly ideal for ground-based astronomy. At 4,200 metres, the summit experiences on average 300 clear nights per year. An inversion cloud layer below the summit blocks moisture and light pollution from below, which is critical for submillimetre and optical telescopes alike.

In the film, the different cloud patterns — and their effect on the sunsets — have a significant role. But the real stars are the stars themselves. We're shown where stars are born, where they pass through different stages of evolution and where they die, often dramatically as supernovae. All of this without any narration. For those not familiar with astronomy, the accompanying features include slideshows that explain the physics and astrophysics behind the scenes, among other things.

The experimental format of the film is daring. According to Cuillandre, “the film is first and foremost an invitation to the contemplation of our environment”. Without question, he succeeds in wowing the audience. For non-scientists or astronomers, it is perfect. However, for those in between, I can't help thinking that some narration could further enhance the experience.