Gemini North and Its Roommates

Gemini North, one the telescopes of the International Gemini Observatory, is pictured against a pastel sky along with three fellow telescopes near the summit of Maunakea in Hawai‘i. Gemini Observatory, which is operated by NSF NOIRLab, consists of twin telescopes, one in each of two of the world’s best sites for ground-based astronomy: Gemini North atop Maunakea in Hawai‘i and Gemini South on Cerro Pachón in Chile. The pristine observing conditions at Maunakea mean that Gemini North shares its site with more than a dozen other telescopes. This image shows the silver-clad dome of Gemini North flanked by the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope and the University of Hawaii 2.2-meter telescope.

It can be difficult to grasp the scale of large astronomical observatories, especially against the rugged backdrop of Manuakea’s summit area. If you look closely at the right hand side of this image you can spot the tiny figures of visitors arrayed along the ridge, showing just how large Gemini North and the other observatories really are!