Celestial Art
ART APPRECIATION 54
Celestial
Art
Edward Mahoney was just seven years old when Sputnik 1 was launched in 1957. “That’s when my treehouse became an observatory,” he says. From then on, Mahoney spent his evenings studying nature’s art in the sky, peering up through a spotting scope he bought at the army surplus store in his New Jersey hometown.
Far from any big-city lights and close to the equator, the skies above the resort are ideal for stargazing: clear and dark, with smooth airflow courtesy of the Hawaiian trade winds. From here, 80 of the 88 constellations are visible. Guests of Mahoney’s nightly Tour of the Stars witness everything from the rings of Saturn and the moons of Jupiter to the Southern Cross and the sun’s closest neighbor, Alpha Centauri. Mahoney’s top picks for stargazing away from Hawaii include the Canary Islands — particularly the rugged interior of Tenerife — isolated villages like Arkaroola in the Australian Outback and Chile’s Atacama Desert. Each benefits from a remote location, near-zero light pollution and high altitude. Mahoney’s rooftop perch, though, surpasses them all. “Many of our guests are from big cities; they never see the stars anymore. Here, there’s always something spectacular to see.” —AT
© Billy Jackson Photograph / Gettyimages
Today, his equipment — and his vantage point — have improved considerably. As the director of astronomy at Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa, named the World’s Top Stargazing Hotel by CNN Travel, Mahoney’s boyhood treehouse has been upgraded to a rooftop observatory, his spotting scope to two high-powered telescopes.
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Celestial
Art
Edward Mahoney was just seven years old when Sputnik 1 was launched in 1957. “That’s when my treehouse became an observatory,” he says. From then on, Mahoney spent his evenings studying nature’s art in the sky, peering up through a spotting scope he bought at the army surplus store in his New Jersey hometown.
Far from any big-city lights and close to the equator, the skies above the resort are ideal for stargazing: clear and dark, with smooth airflow courtesy of the Hawaiian trade winds. From here, 80 of the 88 constellations are visible. Guests of Mahoney’s nightly Tour of the Stars witness everything from the rings of Saturn and the moons of Jupiter to the Southern Cross and the sun’s closest neighbor, Alpha Centauri. Mahoney’s top picks for stargazing away from Hawaii include the Canary Islands — particularly the rugged interior of Tenerife — isolated villages like Arkaroola in the Australian Outback and Chile’s Atacama Desert. Each benefits from a remote location, near-zero light pollution and high altitude. Mahoney’s rooftop perch, though, surpasses them all. “Many of our guests are from big cities; they never see the stars anymore. Here, there’s always something spectacular to see.” —AT
© Billy Jackson Photograph / Gettyimages
Today, his equipment — and his vantage point — have improved considerably. As the director of astronomy at Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa, named the World’s Top Stargazing Hotel by CNN Travel, Mahoney’s boyhood treehouse has been upgraded to a rooftop observatory, his spotting scope to two high-powered telescopes.
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