Gemini’s 25th-Anniversary Image Reveals Ua 'Ōhiʻa Lani — Pillars Rise in NGC 6820

Gemini Observatory Marks 25 Years With Stunning Image of NGC 6820 and NGC 6823

To celebrate its 25th anniversary, the Gemini Observatory released a dramatic, zoomable image of an emission nebula and its neighboring open star cluster: NGC 6820 and NGC 6823. Shared on Nov. 19, 2025, the photograph showcases towering, pillar-like columns of gas and dust sculpted by intense radiation from nearby hot, massive stars.

The bright, blue-white points in the image are the young, hot stars of NGC 6823. Their ultraviolet light excites surrounding hydrogen, producing the nebula’s deep crimson glow. Dense knots of gas and dust resist the eroding stellar winds and radiation, creating the striking pillar shapes reminiscent of the iconic "Pillars of Creation" seen in the Eagle Nebula.

Both objects lie roughly 6,000 light-years away in the constellation Vulpecula, near the center of the Summer Triangle — the asterism formed by Deneb, Vega and Altair. From northern latitudes they appear low in the western sky shortly after dusk.

For this anniversary release, four local Hawaiian high-school students participating in the University of Hawai‘i’s Project Hōkūlani named the scene Ua 'Ōhiʻa Lani, meaning “The Heavenly 'Ōhiʻa Rains.” The name evokes cultural stories of Pele and the tale of 'Ōhiʻa and Lehua, which the students felt mirrored cycles of stellar birth, death and renewal.

“This image is crimson and red like lava because of the abundance of hydrogen gas present in the nebula,” said Hope Arthur, one of the interns, noting the cultural link to Pele, the Hawaiian goddess of volcanoes.

Iolani Sanches, another intern, added that the image’s pale blue stars reminded the students of rain in the story of 'Ōhiʻa and Lehua, where picking lehua blossoms brings rain — a metaphor the students found fitting for stellar regeneration.

The image was captured by Gemini North on the summit of Maunakea in Hawaii, a location that hosts 13 major observatories. Gemini North began operations in June 1999. Its twin, Gemini South, located on Cerro Pachón in the Chilean Andes, achieved first light in November 2000. Together, the twin 8-meter telescopes offer astronomers access to nearly the entire night sky.

A high-resolution, zoomable version of the image is available online from the Gemini Observatory, allowing viewers to explore fine details of the pillars and surrounding stellar cluster.