Explanation:
Aloha and welcome to a breathtaking skyscape.
The dreamlike panoramic view looks out from the 4,200 meter volcanic
summit of Mauna Kea, Hawai'i,
across a layer of clouds toward a
starry night sky
and the rising Milky Way.
Anchoring the scene on the far left is the dome of the
Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT), with
north
star Polaris shining beyond the dome to the right.
Farther right, headed by bright
star Deneb,
the Northern Cross asterism
is embedded along the plane of the Milky Way as it peeks above the
horizon.
Both Northern Cross and
brilliant white
Vega
hang over a foreground grouping of cinder cones.
Near the center are the reddish nebulae, stars and dust clouds of
the central Milky Way.
Below, illumination from the city lights of Hilo creates
an eerie, greenish glow in the clouds.
Red supergiant
star
Antares shines above the Milky Way's central bulge
while bright
Alpha
Centauri lies still farther right, along
the dusty galactic plane.
Finally, at the far right is the large
Gemini North Observatory.
The compact group of stars known as the
Southern Cross is just
left of the telescope dome.
Need some help identifying the stars?
Just slide your cursor over the picture, or download this smaller,
labeled
panorama.
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