Arcturus- Hokule'a, Star of Joy

Arcturus Hokule'a

Job 38: 31 & 32
"Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion?
Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in its season? or canst thou guide Arcturus with its sons"?
110 times more luminous than the Sun, but this underestimates its strength as much of the "light" it gives off is in the infrared; total power output is about 180 times that of the Sun.

The name of the star derives from ancient Greek Αρκτοῦρος (Arktouros) and means "Bear Guard." This is a reference to it being the brightest star in the constellation Boötes (of which it forms the left foot), which is next to the Big and Little Bears, Ursa Major and Ursa Minor.

Prehistoric Polynesian navigators knew Arcturus as Hokule'a, the "Star of Joy." Arcturus is the Zenith Star of the Hawaiian Islands. Using Hokule'a and other stars, the Polynesians launched their double-hulled canoes from Tahiti and the Marquesas Islands. Traveling east and north they eventually crossed the equator and reached the latitude where Arcturus would appear directly overhead in the summer night sky. Knowing they had arrived at the exact latitude of the island chain, they sailed due west on the trade winds until making landfall. If Hokule'a could be kept directly overhead, they landed on the southeastern shores of the Big Island of Hawaii.

The original inhabitants of Hawaii are believed to have come from the Marquesas Islands in the South Pacific about A.D. 250-450. Later migrations probably came from Tahiti. It is believed that the Tahitians had the skills to make the journey in both directions.

The skills of navigation and the personal self-confidence that allowed these people to sail in relatively small deep-sea voyaging canoes over this huge distance are inspiring

The photos you see below were taken when I visited
the Imiloa Astronomy Center on the Big Island
The historic voyages have been re-created by a canoe called the Hokulea, and what you looking at is a star compass with a brief explanation for the names-

Here is an excerpt- (you can click the link below for further reading if you like)
The Building of Hōkūleʻa: .

Mauna Kea is the tallest mountain in the world (measured from its base at the ocean floor).

The island houses the world's biggest telescope and more scientific observatories in one place than anywhere else in the world