Star Trails Above Mauna Kea
			
		
		
		
			Is there a road to the stars?  
Possibly there are many, but the 
physical road pictured above leads up to the top of a dormant volcano that is a 
premier spot on planet 
Earth for 
observing stars and astronomical phenomena.  
At the top of 
Hawaii's 
Mauna Kea 
are some of the largest optical telescopes on Earth, including the 
Keck telescopes, 
Gemini, 
Subaru, 
CFHT, and the 
IRTF.  
Together, these 10-meter eyes have made many universe-redefining discoveries, 
including detailing that most of the universe is made not of familiar matter but of mysterious 
dark matter and 
dark energy.  
The above picture was compiled from over 150 one-minute exposures from a 
digital camera.  
During that time, the 
rotation of the Earth 
made the stars far in the distance appear to have long 
star trails.  
The foreground landscape was illuminated by the 
Moon.