The Heartof the Scorpion
As the last light fades from Hawaiʻi, the southern sky opens into the blazing heart of the Milky Way. Scorpius stretches across the darkness with fiery Antares at its center, while Sagittarius points toward the crowded core of our galaxy. Star clouds, dark dust lanes, glowing nebulae, and ancient clusters fill this part of the sky—one of the richest regions visible from Earth.
From there, we follow the same sky through three distinct views: first with your own eyes beneath the constellations, then live through the eyepiece, and finally through dedicated cameras gathering real tracked exposures. Each view reveals something the others cannot—from the shape of Scorpius overhead to ancient starlight arriving directly at your eye, then the faint color and structure hidden beyond human vision.
Look up. Look through.
Look deeper.
This isn’t a smart-telescope demo. We operate a full-size visual telescope and two dedicated imaging systems side by side—serious equipment collecting real, tracked exposures beneath the sky.
Use your own eyes and our laser-guided tour to trace Scorpius, Sagittarius, the Milky Way, and the path to each target.
Look directly through our 12-inch Meade LX90. No screen between you and the object—just ancient photons arriving at your eye.
Watch dedicated imaging rigs build deep exposures that uncover the faint color and structure human vision cannot see alone.
A fast-moving tour through some of September’s best visual and imaging targets. The exact lineup changes with the sky, but these are the kinds of objects we’ll be chasing.
- Antares & Rho OphiuchiFiery color and dust near Scorpius.
- Lagoon Nebula · M8A huge, bright nebula in the eyepiece.
- Trifid Nebula · M20Red and blue glow split by dark lanes.
- Swan / Omega Nebula · M17A bright cloud with sweeping structure.
- Helix NebulaA vast planetary nebula glowing in Aquarius.
- Mizar & AlcorThe Big Dipper pair; Mizar is a double.
- Ring Nebula · M57A crisp planetary nebula like a smoke ring.
- Dumbbell Nebula · M27Bright and excellent visually or in images.
- Hercules Globular Cluster · M13A dense swarm of ancient stars.
Reserve your night under the stars.
A small-group, three-hour experience built around three ways of seeing the sky: naked eye, 12-inch eyepiece, and guided astrophotography. Every guest receives downloadable copies of the photographs captured during the tour. Limited to ten guests.
- 3 guided hours
- Max 10 guests
- Visual observing
- Photos from your night included
- Hot chocolate included
Guests drive themselves to the observing site. We choose one of four mountain meeting locations based on the evening’s weather and viewing conditions, allowing us to put the group where the sky looks best that night. Because this is an outdoor mountain experience, the exact meeting point and observing plan may shift with the weather. Your confirmation email will include the final location, arrival time, directions, and any last-minute updates.