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This image opens the Subaru Gallery for 2026. As the Sun sets and Maunakea is bathed in evening light, the Subaru Telescope prepares for the night ahead. Inside the enclosure, final preparations are underway to open the main shutter and begin observations.
The Subaru Telescope achieved first light in January 1999 and entered its 27th year of operation in 2026. In March 2025, ʻŌnohiʻula Prime Focus Spectrograph (PFS) began scientific observations. Development of Ultra-wide Laser Tomographic Imager and MOS with AO for Transcendent Exploration (ULTIMATE-Subaru) is also progressing.
(Credit: Dr. Vera Maria Passegger/NAOJ)