Ishigaki-jima is located in the Yaeyama Archepelago. This is the dreamy winter night sky as seen from Ishigaki-jima Astronomical Observatory located on the peak of Maesedake. Because the night sky is very dark on Ishigaki-jima, you can clearly see the Milky Way flowing faintly across the Great Winter Triangle. If you move your eyes from the Great Winter Triangle down towards the horizon, you can easily see Canopus in the constellation Carina (the keel of the ship Argo.)

On Ishigaki-jima, nicknamed the “Starry Sky Island,”* the entire island participates in the “South Island Star Festival.” In this picture, the 105cm diameter telescope named MURIKABUSHI stares at the quietly shining winter stars, as if the hustle and bustle of summer has been forgotten. In the Yaeyama district, Murikabushi is the name given to the star cluster known as the Pleiades or the Seven Sisters in the West. The winter stars are not limited to the Pleiades, Orion and Canis Major; the brightest star in the constellation Carina, Canopus, can be seen low in the southern sky. It is difficult to see this star from Honshu, the main Japanese island. Seen from 24 degrees north latitude where Ishigaki-jima is located, Canopus reaches an elevation of about 13 degrees in the southern sky. It is extremely easy to spot this star from any place where the southern sky is visible. Viewing the winter sky from a southern island has a different feel than seeing it from Honshu.

Ishigaki-jima Astronomical Observatory is operated by cooperation between the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Ishigaki City, Ishigaki City Education Committee, Specified Nonprofit Corporation Yaeyamahoshinokai, Okinawa Prefecture Ishigaki Youth Center, and the University of the Ryukyus. Star gazing parties using the MURIKABUSHI telescope are held periodically. For more detailed information and reservations, please see Ishigaki-jima Astronomical Observatory’s webpage (Japanese only.)

(*Translator’s Note: Ishigaki-jima literally means “Stone Fence Island.” Starry Sky Island, “hoshizoranoshima” in Japanese, is a recent nickname.)

(Author: Tomoko Ono)