Hawai’i Island is known as “the Island of Eternal Summer” but where the Subaru Telescope is located on the summit of Mauna Kea, on Hawai’i Island, the winter is cold and long every year. At an altitude of approximately 4200 meters (14,000 ft) and with temperatures reaching down to minus 10 degrees Celsius (14 Fahrenheit), the snow repeatedly piles up. It is said that in Hawai’i, snow falls only on Mauna Kea and the peak of the neighboring Mauna Loa. This picture shows the constellation Orion shining vigorously during the winter season. From the heavens, Orion watches over the Subaru Telescope as it continues observations through the harsh winter.

(Author: Hideaki Fujiwara)