Mauna Kea Galaxy Rise

The Milky Way band rises above Mauna Kea. Located at altitude of about 4200m over the Pacific Ocean, the Mauna Kea volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii, is one of the best observing location of the planet. The Mauna Kea Observatory is recognized as one of the world’s premier astronomical research facilities that houses over a dozen giant telescopes including the 8-meter Gemini North telescope (in the right).