Hawai'i high school students name image of glittering galaxy pair

Nā ʻUhane Māhoe Huki Pū i ke Ola is the Hawaiian name given to NGC 7253, a pair of spiral galaxies caught in each other's gravity. The image was captured by the Gemini North telescope on Maunakea in Hawai‘i and is part of the NOIRLab Legacy Imaging Program. The name translates to "The Twin Spirits Pulling Together Creating Life," and it was chosen by the 2026 Project Hōkūlani interns. The image shows the galaxies merging, and the name reflects the dual nature of the interacting galaxies and the communities that contributed to the project.

• The image was created by three high school students from Waiākea High School and the Volcano School of Arts and Sciences.
• The interns spent a week at the Gemini North Hilo Base Facility to learn about observatory operations and scientific data collection.
• The name "Nā ʻUhane Māhoe Huki Pū i ke Ola" is inspired by the dual nature of the galaxies and the communities that came together to make the project possible.
• The image is the closest look yet at NGC 7253 and is part of the International Gemini Observatory.
• The name was chosen after researching interacting galaxies and galaxy mergers, and it reflects the life that can be created by interacting galaxies.
• The image is part of the Gemini Legacy Imaging Program, which aims to share color images with the public.
• The project supports middle and high school students in entering STEM fields through work-based enrichment programs.
• The image was taken as part of the program started in 2002 at the International Gemini Observatory.

Nā ʻUhane Māhoe Huki Pū i ke Ola is the Hawaiian name given to this image of NGC 7253—a pair of spiral galaxies caught in each other's gravity. This image was captured by the Gemini North telescope on Maunakea, one half of the International Gemini Observatory. The name of the image, which translates to "The Twin Spirits Pulling Together Creating Life," was chosen by the 2026 Project Hōkūlani interns. Credit: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/Dark Energy Survey/DOE/FNAL/DECam/CTIO/DSS2/E. Slawik/N. Bartmann "ʻUhane in this image reminds us that astronomy is not just science or spirit; it's both at the same time," adds Manu Silva-Sampaio. Huki Pū represents the physical and literal aspect of the galaxies being pulled together, driven by the force of each other's gravity. It also represents the communities that came together to make Project Hōkūlani a reality. "Many people from around the world and different areas of expertise came together to make our internship possible, and we learned so much from everyone," says Wilson. "Our experience, and astronomy itself, is a kākou (collective) type of practice." Finally, i ke Ola represents the life that can be created by interacting galaxies. To choose a fitting name for this image, the interns researched interacting galaxies and galaxy mergers. They learned that when spiral galaxies begin to merge, the gas and dust in their spiral arms collide, causing a significant burst in star formation. High-energy ultraviolet radiation radiation from the newly born stars ionizes, or energizes, the surrounding gas. When atomic hydrogen is ionized, it forms H II (pronounced "h-two") regions, which are visible in this image as concentrations of bright pink light.

AI-generated summary of the original article — see the source for the full story.