Lava Stars

KILAUEA LAVA STARS
The Milky Way core rises as Pele (goddess of fire) and Namaka (goddess of the sea) are about to be
reunited for the first time in nearly 3 years. That afternoon after riding (or mostly walking) my bike 4 miles
on a gravel road I arrived and witnessed molten lava about to cross and cover the Pahoa- HVNP
emergency access road. This flow moved fairly slowly and at times would pause for a few moments and
then erupt and slowly flow again. It was advancing at a few inches an hour to a few feet an hour
depending on the flow. Molten lava started to take the road just before sunset and roughly 7 hours later
the road was completely covered and blocked off by fresh new lava. Nearly 3 hours after that, lava was
reunited with the sea. After observing and photographing this surface flow for a while, I decided to take a
step back for a moment to take this unbelievable landscape in. That’s when I saw the Milky Way rising
above this magnificent lava flow that was approaching the cliff’s edge about to pour into the ocean. This
is an extremely rare photo as I was the only photographer who was able to capture the Milky Way above
this particular lava flow, at this moment, on this historic night. The three lights seen on the cliffs edge are
other explorers-photographers (who later became friends). However they were the only other people I
saw out there that night.
Luckily I always over prepare and had plenty of water and rations. It wasn't the first time I’d made a
spontaneous decision to stay out in the lava field longer than expected. Living the lava lifestyle you have
to be able to be ready to go in the moment when and where it happens. Just before sunset I tossed my
friend my keys and said “See you in the morning!”. I then settled in alongside this mesmerizing lava flow,
taking it all in. The best way to describe the feeling of staying overnight in the lava field, on the lava cliffs
watching it fall in the ocean would be to imagine you're either on another planet or watching this one
being created. It's by far the most mesmerizing, amazing and humbling experience! I was extremely
fortunate to experience this many times and now to be able to share you.
It was a mostly clear, dark and starry night with the only additional light coming from the lava flows.
There were a few precious moments when I was lying next to the lava flow staring up at the stars
wishing this moment would never end. If you look at the Milky Way, center-right there is a mini shooting
star in this image. While lying there I saw lots of shooting stars that night. Occasionally a rain cloud
would pass over and I’d get a little wet. It was this night that I realized that lava is hot enough to dry out
your clothes after the rain. In just 10 minutes just a few feet next to the flow my clothes had dried! This
picture was taken at 10:39 pm, July 25, 2016 at the edge of Kalapana and Hawaii Volcanoes National
Park. Kamokuna Lava Cliffs.
SINGLE IMAGE. 61 G Lava Flow glows under the stars. 26 seconds exposure, F 5.0 2000 @ 16 mm.
Canon 5D Miii.
Lava met the Pacific at 1:15 am, July 26, 2016.
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