Hawaii
Mysterious green lights in Hawaii sky leave astronomers searching for answers
KAILUA-KONA, Hawaii (KHON) — A strange glow in the night sky over Hawaiʻi Island is raising eyebrows – and questions – after a Kona resident captured unusual green lights on camera over the weekend.
Jake Asuncion says he was filming sunset near Keahole Point when he unknowingly recorded the phenomenon. It wasn’t until he got home and reviewed the footage that he noticed a faint green glow appear in the sky.
“I got home, I was going to post it, and then towards the end of the video I saw the green come out—I said, what was that?” Asuncion said. He said he enhanced the color to show the movement.
Curious, he returned the following night—and saw it again.
“I wanted to go back the next night and see if I could capture the same thing—and it came out even more the second night,” he said.
He said the glow appeared roughly 15 to 20 minutes after sunset, looking northwest toward Maui. While faint to the naked eye, the green hue was more visible through his phone camera.
The sightings have caught the attention of local astronomers, including Nick Bradley with Stargazers of Hawaiʻi, who says the color resembles aurora, but likely isn’t.
“It looked very interesting. The green color looks like aurora, but honestly, we don’t really get that in Hawaiʻi,” Bradley explained.
Data from the weekend shows no significant geomagnetic storm activity that would produce aurora visible in the islands. The KP index—a measure used to track aurora strength—was only between 3 and 4. By comparison, a rare aurora visible in Hawaiʻi in 2024 required a KP index of 8.
Bradley says other common explanations don’t seem to match what was captured either.
“Satellites look like small pinpoint lights moving across the sky, we see them every night. This doesn’t look like that,” he said.
He also ruled out meteor showers, lasers, and the well-known “green flash” that sometimes occurs at sunset, noting the lights appeared well after the sun had already set and higher in the sky.
The Army said there were no lasers being used or any training in that area.
The Hawaii Department of Transportation said Kona airport used to have a laser bird hazing gun, but it was red and would not come close in scale to what is shown in the photos. Standard airport rotating beacons also would not have the scale as shown in the photos.
Keck Observatories suggest it could be STEVE or ‘strong thermal emissions velocity enhancement,’ which is similar to aurora but seen further south than aurora. But not as much is known about STEVE and it’s typically seen with aurora present.
Astronomers note that smartphone cameras can enhance colors in low-light conditions, meaning the green glow may appear brighter on video than in real life.
Still, the exact cause remains unknown — and experts are asking the public to keep an eye out and capture the moment if they can.
“I would love more eyes on it — more data, the better,” Bradley said.
As for Asuncion, he plans to keep watching the skies.
“I just appreciate the beauty of nature and whatever comes,” he said.
Hawaii
Office of Hawaiian Affairs Responds to Senate Bill Involving Pōhakuloa – Big Island Video News
(BIVN) – The Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) says it is in alignment with provisions in the Fiscal Year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act dealing with military-leased lands in Hawaiʻi, including the Pōhakuloa Training Area.
In a news release, OHA said it is encouraged by the bill’s “clear movement away from condemnation and toward negotiated solutions” for the approximately 19,700 acres of state lands at Pōhakuloa, and 450 acres at Kahuku. “The process outlined is consistent with OHA’s long-standing position opposing condemnation – whether forcible or ‘friendly’ – and insisting that lands held in public trust remain in the public trust and continue benefiting Native Hawaiians and future generations of Hawaiʻi’s people.”
The U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee recently passed the Fiscal Year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA. The bill is expected to advance to the full United States Senate for consideration by the end of July 2026, OHA says.
In a June 12th news release, U.S. Senator Mazie Hirono (D, Hawaiʻi) said she voted against the NDAA. Hirono is a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) and Ranking Member of the Readiness and Management Support Subcommittee.
“I’m proud to have secured numerous provisions in the Senate’s FY27 NDAA that invest in military readiness, Hawaii, the Indo-Pacific Region, and our servicemembers and their families, while also holding the Army accountable on the military training land lease negotiations,” Hirono stated at the time. “However, I could not in good conscience vote to advance a bill that paves the way for an up to 40% increase in year-over-year Department of Defense spending, especially as this administration wages an illegal war in Iran with no plan or end in sight.”
Hirono said the bill “directs the Secretary of the Army to seek from the State of Hawaii, on terms acceptable to both the Army and the State, a renewal of expiring training land leases. As part of this, requires the Army to expeditiously resubmit their Environmental Impact Statements (EISs) for the leased lands and address deficiencies identified by the Hawaii Board of Land and Natural Resources.”
OHA noted Section 2864 of the NDAA also requires a report to Congress on the steps and proposals taken to advance lease renewals, within 60 days from the NDAA’s enactment.
“The Senate Armed Services Committee’s action reflects meaningful progress in acknowledging Hawaiʻi’s unique legal and cultural context,” stated OHA chair Kaialiʻi Kahele. “The removal of condemnation as an option and the requirement for renewed environmental review are consistent with what OHA has long advocated – that these lands must not be permanently alienated and that Hawaiʻi’s concerns must be fully addressed in good faith. Congress appears willing to respect Hawaiʻi’s laws and institutions. The opportunity before us now is to fully embrace the responsibilities and authorities those laws entrust to us. OHA will continue to ensure Native Hawaiian rights and public trust responsibilities remain central to any future decisions.”
OHA has been holding high-level meetings in Washington, D.C. concerning the military lease renewals.
OHA says it is also actively moving forward with a comprehensive Ka Paʻakai Analysis for Pōhakuloa Training Area. “The Board of Trustees has already approved a Permitted Interaction Group allocation of $60,000 to support this work, and OHA is finalizing a memorandum of understanding with DLNR to complete the work,” the Office stated. The analysis “will help create a more complete record of the cultural, historical, and community connections to these lands, providing decision makers with information necessary to evaluate potential impacts, identify appropriate protections, and fulfill their responsibilities under Hawaiʻi law.”
From the OHA news release:
OHA also notes that the NDAA contemplates the pursuit of future lease arrangements pursuant to Section 2667 of Title 10, United States Code. As discussions continue regarding potential lease terms, community benefit commitments, land-back and lease-back models, and other components of any future agreement, OHA believes those arrangements must remain consistent with Hawaiʻi’s environmental laws and public trust obligations. Any benefits derived from renewed use of these lands should reinforce the purposes of the public trust, protect traditional and customary Native Hawaiian practices, honor the history and significance of these lands, and preserve the value they were intended to provide for Native Hawaiian beneficiaries and future generations of Hawaiʻi’s people.
Forecast for Big Island Windward and Southeast
| Shores | Tonight | Saturday | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surf | Surf | |||
| PM | AM | AM | PM | |
| North Facing | 0-2 | 0-2 | 0-2 | 0-2 |
| East Facing | 1-3 | 1-3 | 1-3 | 1-3 |
| South Facing | 4-6 | 3-5 | 4-6 | 5-7 |
| Weather | Sunny until 6 PM, then partly cloudy. Scattered showers. |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low Temperature | In the lower 70s. | |||||
| Winds | Northeast winds 5 to 10 mph, becoming northwest after midnight. |
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|
||||||
| Weather | Mostly sunny. Scattered showers. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Temperature | In the mid 80s. | |||||
| Winds | Northeast winds 5 to 10 mph. | |||||
|
||||||
| Sunrise | 5:42 AM HST. | |||||
| Sunset | 7:02 PM HST. | |||||
Forecast for Big Island Leeward
| Shores | Tonight | Saturday | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surf | Surf | |||
| PM | AM | AM | PM | |
| West Facing | 2-4 | 2-4 | 2-4 | 2-4 |
| South Facing | 4-6 | 3-5 | 3-5 | 4-6 |
| Weather | Mostly sunny until 6 PM, then mostly clear. Isolated showers. |
||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low Temperature | In the upper 60s. | ||||||||
| Winds | Northwest winds around 5 mph, becoming southeast in the evening, then becoming light and variable after midnight. |
||||||||
|
|||||||||
| Weather | Sunny. Isolated showers. | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Temperature | In the upper 80s. | ||||||||
| Winds | West winds around 5 mph. | ||||||||
|
|||||||||
| Sunrise | 5:46 AM HST. | ||||||||
| Sunset | 7:06 PM HST. | ||||||||
A small, medium period south swell will continue to steadily fade into Saturday, allowing surf along south and west-facing shores to drop a notch. A series of small, medium to long period south and southeast swells will fill in Saturday into the first half of next week, which will boost surf heights back near seasonal averages.
Tiny surf will prevail along north-facing shores through most of the coming week as only some limited short-period energy reaches the islands from the north. Trade winds remain lighter than normal through the weekend, keeping surf along east-facing shores below average. East shore surf will begin to trend up early next week as trade winds increase upstream and across the region.
NORTH EAST
am pm
Surf: Minimal (ankle high or less) surf.
Conditions: Semi choppy with ESE winds 5-10mph in the morning increasing to 10-15mph in the afternoon.
NORTH WEST
am pm
Surf: Minimal (ankle high or less) surf.
Conditions: Clean in the morning with ESE winds less than 5mph. Bumpy/semi bumpy conditions for the afternoon with the winds shifting W 5-10mph.
WEST
am pm
Surf: Minimal (ankle high or less) surf.
Conditions: Light sideshore texture in the morning with NNW winds 5-10mph. Bumpy/semi bumpy conditions for the afternoon with the winds shifting to the WNW.
SOUTH EAST
am pm
Surf: Minimal (ankle high or less) surf.
Conditions: Sideshore texture/chop with NE winds 10-15mph.
Data Courtesy of NOAA.gov and SwellInfo.com
The honor of introducing former President Barack Obama at the grand opening of his new presidential library in Chicago Thursday went to Dr. Kaiwipunikauikawēkiu Punihei Lipe of Hawaii.
Hawaii News Now reports that Lipe participated in the inaugural cohort of the Asia-Pacific Leaders Program in 2019 and is currently the principal at Kamehameha Schools Kapālama.
“Where I come from, to introduce someone means we have pilina, a connection. If this man walked into my home, my children would call him uncle because we are both keiki o ka ʻāina, children of Hawaii,” she said in her remarks.
She told those in attendance that the former president and herself are both “children of Hawaii.” Obama lived on the island and attended Punahou School and lived in Hawaii for eight years until his graduation from high school.
Lipe said being children of Hawaii carries with it a “sacred responsibility to care for those who we may never meet.”
She made reference to the resilient Hawaiian shrub, the Like a’ali’i.
“The a’ali’i thrives by being deeply rooted, resilient through storm and drought, and fiercely responsive. That is what ‘yes, we can’ means to my indigenous heart. It demands that we remain unshakably rooted in truth, resilient through trial, and so responsive that just as this plant yields its leaves for medicine, its blooms for beauty, and its timber for protection, we become the healing, the vibrance, and the shelter needed by our communities and by grandmother earth.”
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