Southern Treasures on the Horizon

The disc of the Milky Way spreads across the eastern horizon of Hawaiʻi as it rises over the summit of Maunakea. The center of our galaxy silhouettes the Maunakea Observatories, including Gemini North (third from left), one half of the International Gemini Observatory, supported in part by the U.S. National Science Foundation and operated by NSF NOIRLab. At about 19 degrees north of the equator, Maunakea is in one of the most southerly locations in the United States. This makes it an excellent location to view large portions of the southern skies from the northern hemisphere, wonderfully captured in this stunning photograph.

At the center of this image is the constellation Scorpius (the Scorpion), including the star Antares, its bright red ‘heart’. To its left is Ophiuchus (the serpent bearer). These two constellations are dotted with a variety of colorful nebulae. A closer look at these nebulae is in our earlier Image of the Week captured from Cerro Pachón in Chile, another home of telescopes operated by NOIRLab.

On the right side of the image is a view of three celestial ‘celebrities’. The massive constellation Centaurus (the Centaur) can be found using its bright yellow ‘front hoof’ Alpha Centauri in the disc of the Milky Way. This triple stellar system is notable for including the closest star to the Sun, Proxima Centauri. Below Centaurus, and also in the galactic disc, is Crux (the cross). This constellation is one of the most important navigation tools in the southern hemisphere because it points towards the south pole. It’s defined by the red star at its top and an equilateral triangle of blue stars for its bottom. Finally, the bright red spot to the right of Crux is one of the most famous nebulae: the Carina Nebula (NGC 3372). This significant nebula is one of the largest diffuse nebulae visible from Earth and an object of intense research because of the plethora of astronomical objects inside it.

This photo was taken as part of the recent NOIRLab 2022 Photo Expedition to all the NOIRLab sites. Tomáš Slovinský, the photographer, is a NOIRLab Audiovisual Ambassador.