Unlike the Hubble and most land-based telescopes, however, the CFHT can create images that capture large areas of the night sky. Its sophisticated digital technology allows scientists to survey the heavens in ways unknown to Galileo Galilei. To date, the CFHT has allowed astronomers to look beyond Andromeda, Cassiopeia, and Ursa Major to calculate the distance and age of constellations and galaxies once hidden from view. One day, this and other high-powered telescopes will help astronomers discover the birthplace of our Milky Way galaxy. The work of Arsenault and his colleagues on Mauna Kea addresses questions that humankind has pondered since the dawn of time.
Answers are only a cosmic heartbeat away.
Photos by Clark Mischler.