Observatory in Action

The Milky Way arcs across the pristine starry sky of Mauna Kea Observatories. The Gemini North telescope is beaming a laser to the atmosphere for adaptive optics operation. Located at altitude of about 4200 m over the Pacific Ocean, the Mauna Kea volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii is one of the world’s best observing locations, home to over a dozen giant telescopes.