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More than 160 photo-essays showcasing the beauty of Maunakea’s sky and landscape, its mythical beginnings and glacial past tell the story of how the human dream to create the village of the Maunakea observatories endured and became reality in Michael J. West’s new book A Sky Wonderful with Stars: 50 Years of Modern Astronomy on Maunakea. The book will be released to coincide with the 2015 International Astronomical Union General Assembly to be held August 3-14 in Honolulu.

Book description

A Sky Wonderful with Stars tells the fascinating story of how a remote mountaintop in the middle of the Pacific Ocean became home to the most powerful collection of telescopes in the world.

It is a tale of triumphs, failures, and the indomitable human spirit of exploration. More than 160 superb photographs accompanied by astronomer Michael J. West’s engaging commentary bring the past and present to life and showcase the many remarkable discoveries made by the observatories atop Maunakea.

About the author

Michael J. West is deputy director for science at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona. A frequent user of the telescopes on Maunakea, he is also the author of A Gentle Rain of Starlight: The Story of Astronomy on Mauna Kea (2005).

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