Lmst

NOIRLab image of the week

Lights of the Night Show at Gemini North

Credit: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/J. Pollard
https://noirlab.edu/public/images/iotw2525a/

#NOIRLab #photography #Astronomy #Astrodon #astrophotography #Gemini #GeminiNorth #MaunaKea #Hawaii #science #Polaris

Laser light and star trails combine for a cosmic light show at Gemini North, one half of the International Gemini Observatory which is supported in part by the U.S. National Science Foundation and operated by NSF NOIRLab, on Maunakea in Hawai‘i. This scene was created by combining multiple timelapse images.

In the foreground sits Gemini North, situated near the highest point in the Pacific Basin at an altitude of 4213 meters (13,822 feet). The orange streaks were created by Gemini’s Laser Guide Star (LGS) system at several different observing positions. The laser creates an ‘artificial star’ by interacting with atoms in the upper atmosphere approximately 90 kilometers (50 miles) above the Earth. Earth’s atmosphere distorts light from the laser-created ‘star’, just as it distorts the light from objects under study. By measuring these distortions, Gemini’s adaptive optics system can correct for them in the telescope’s science observations, resulting in crisper, clearer views of the Universe for astronomers.

In the background, stars swirl around Polaris, the northern hemisphere’s pole star. As Earth rotates over the course of a night, stars seem to circle the celestial poles, showing up as trails in long-exposure photographic images.

#Volcano #MaunaKéa
#astronomie

#MilkyWay over #Maunakea
#Astronomy #Picture of the Day

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250520.html

#APOD

Portrait of the Milky Way in the background and an observatory in the foreground.

silversword—Mauna Kea, HI (2025)

#flora #landscape #landscapephotography #fineartphotography #stilllife #stilllifephotography #silversword #nativeplants #altar #shrine #reverence #protected #flora #desert #volcano #hawaii #maunakea #fujifilm #fujixseries

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silversword plant surrounded in a circle of stones

Science et résistances #autochtones au #MaunaKea

« #PascalMarichalar (CNRS, IRIS), discutera de son ouvrage #LaMontagneAuxÉtoiles. Enquête sur les terres contestées de l'astronomie (La Découverte, 2024). »

https://soundcloud.com/user-897145586/science-et-resistances-autochtones-au-mauna-kea-observer-les-etoiles-ignorer-la-terre

#ObservatoiresDuMaunaKea #KānakaMaoli #Hawaï #USpol #défenseursDeLaTerre #luttesDécoloniales #livres @bookstodon

Last one from the highest sunset I’ve ever experienced on land.

#35 #35mm #film #filmisnotdead #kodak #portra #portra400 #hawaii #bigisland #sunset #spaceobservatory #MaunaKea

Sunset from the tippy top of the island.

#35 #35mm #film #filmisnotdead #kodak #portra #portra400 #hawaii #bigisland #sunset #MaunaKea

There’s a new night sky webcam on Mauna Kea. It is on the CFHT building and looks west. The Keck Telescope domes and the Subaru Telescope building are in the foreground.

Orion is prominent in the sky from the webcam right now. The moon is up and behind the camera, so the scene is bright and the sky not very dark.

Live cam: https://www.youtube.com/live/qh6Nqiq6LIg

Other live cam links in that video description.

#Astronomy #MaunaKea #Livecam

NOIRLab image of the week

Gemini North Under a Blanket of Airglow

Release date: Feb. 26, 2025
Full credits and details: https://noirlab.edu/public/images/iotw2509a/

I took the liberty to upload its panorama version in this interactive 360° app, give it a spin, it's beautiful: https://www.360cities.net/image/gemini-north-under-a-blanket-of-airglow-360-panorama/vr

#Astronomy #NOIRLab #MaunaKea #stars #milkyway #photography #astrophotography #airglow #nightskyphotography #darkenergy #Hawaii #GeminiNorth #telescope #science #STEM #astrodon #360panorama #360pano

The Milky Way shares the stage with a luminous bubble of green and orange airglow in this panoramic image of Gemini North, one half of the International Gemini Observatory, supported in part by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and operated by NSF NOIRLab. Gemini North (right) is accompanied here by the Canada-France-Hawai‘i Telescope (CFHT) (left). In this image, you could remove all of the stars, the brilliant stripe of the Milky Way, and the nearby city lights of Hilo, Hawai‘i (far left), and you would still be left with a picture that isn’t completely dark. This is thanks to the persistent light of airglow.

Airglow is primarily caused by sunlight interacting with atoms and molecules in Earth’s upper atmosphere, which allows them to gain excess energy. This excess energy is then released as a particle of light called a photon. The frequencies of the photons determine the captivating colors of airglow. While it’s often difficult to see this light with the naked eye, a camera can capture it, as seen in the photo above. Intersecting the Milky Way is another lucent phenomenon known as zodiacal light with the gegenschein to the right.

This photo was taken as part of the NOIRLab 2022 Photo Expedition to all the NOIRLab sites. Petr Horálek, the photographer, is a NOIRLab Audiovisual Ambassador. Fulldome and extended view versions of this photo also are available.

Credit: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/P. Horálek (Institute of Physics in Opava)

Visitors to the summit of #MaunaKea are strongly advised to stop at the Visitor Information Station (9,200') for at least 30 minutes before continuing higher.

https://hilo.hawaii.edu/maunakea/visitor-information/public-safety

The scenery is extraordinary - you can see that the Station is surrounded by cinder cones. In the middle distance is Saddle Road at ~6,000'. Beyond, the Mauna Loa access road is beginning the climb to the NOAA Mauna Loa Observatory which publishes routine CO2 levels and historic trends.

https://gml.noaa.gov/ccgg/trends/

A photograph from above the Mauna Kea Visitor Information Station showing its location surrounded by cinder cones. In the distance is Saddle Road with access roads to Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa.

Nobody would believe me if I told you this was #Hawaii #MaunaKea

A yellow sun rising over a snowy mountainous landscape with a frigid little lake in the foreground.

The French just rebuilt Notre Dame. Why are we allowing the US Government to desecrate the Indigenous equivalent?

#MaunaKea is a sacred mountain

#AbovetheClouds

https://standingabove.my.canva.site//

A Celestial Spectacle Captured

Astrophotographer Andrew McCarthy scaled the heights of Mauna Kea, reaching 4,207 meters above sea level, to witness a rare cosmic event: Saturn passing behind the Moon. From this pristine vantage point, he captured a stunning image that showcases the beauty and wonder of the universe.
This incredible photograph brings the cosmos closer to us, inspiring awe and curiosity.

#Astrophotography #MaunaKea #Space #Astronomy #CosmicEvent

NOIRLab image of the week: The Path to Observation

Star trails streak across the sky above the summit of Maunakea

Credit: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/J.Chu
Release date: Nov. 27, 2024
https://noirlab.edu/public/images/iotw2448a/

#MaunaKea #astrophotography #astronomy #photography #Hawaii #USA #stars #startrails #nightsky #nightskyphotography #science #STEM #NOIRLab

Star trails streak across the sky above the summit of Maunakea in this image, which shows the surroundings of the Gemini North telescope, one half of the International Gemini Observatory, supported in part by the U.S. National Science Foundation and operated by NSF NOIRLab. The long exposure time of this photograph, coupled with the rotation of Earth, has caused the stars to streak into a multitude of graceful arcs. To the right of the image a much more earthly trail is visible; hikers with head torches have illuminated the final stretch of the Humuʻula Trail which winds up to the summit of Maunakea.

One of the streaks of light in the skies above Maunakea didn’t originate from a distant star, but rather from something much closer to home. A passing airplane has left a dashed trail at the lower left of this image, pointing the way to the glowing patch of cloud illuminated by the city lights of Hilo, Hawai‘i.

From left to right, the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) in the valley below the cinder cone, Subaru, Keck (x2) and finally the NASA InfraRed Telescope Facility (IRTF).

#MaunaKea #Hawaii #sunsetphotography

Once the sun has set on #MaunaKea we get ”lilac hour”. Here are the Canada–France–Hawaii and Gemini North telescopes ethereal as night falls.

#CFHT #gemininorth #hawaii

The Canada–France–Hawaii and Gemini North telescopes during “lilac hour” after sunset at the summit of Mauna Kea.

During my astronomy PhD in the ’90s I had the very good fortune to travel twice to Mauna Kea from Scotland to use UKIRT, the United Kingdom InfraRed Telescope. Here it is shortly after sunset in October 2024 preparing for a night of astronomy. #ukirt #MaunaKea #hawaii

Silhouetted against the western horizon shortly after sunset, UKIRT’s dome has opened for a night of astronomy. Vents are open to cool the telescope and we can see the sky through the dome in places.

Back in October our rental car on the Big Island of Hawai’i was a Jeep with 4x4 traction. We visited the summit of Mauna Kea for sunset and I took my Canon M6 mk ii and a tripod to take a few pictures.

#MaunaKea #sunsets

Sunset from the summit of Mauna Kea in October 2024. A small aperture of f16 has created a sunburst that reaches from the sky to join a lens flare below the silhouetted foreground cinder cone. The horizon is slightly slanted as I’ve turned the tripod-mounted camera from my main composition of telescopes at the summit.

#PhotoOfTheDay Observatories atop Mauna Kea in Hawaii, combining two of my passions - astronomy and Hawaii. :) Elevation close to 12,000', which is impressive as you come up from sea level. Also the only time I've hiked in Hawaiian snow! It's somehow fitting that these observatories are in an otherworldly, somewhat Mars-like setting. #photo #photography #astronomy #hawaii #MaunaKea

Four white and silver observatories lined up along a ridge on top of Mauna Kea. There are clouds at the same elevation in the background, and scattered snow pockets on the ground.

#SilentSunday #Hawaii #MaunaKea #lava

#MaunaKea

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