Galaxy Garden Grand Opening
October 20, 2007 • Paleaku Astronomy Center, Captain Cook, Hi
Astronomy artist Jon Lomberg has mapped the Milky Way in flowers at the Paleaku Astronomy Center in Captain Cook in west Hawaii. The Grand Opening of the Galaxy Garden was well attended by nearly a hundred people, including representatives from many of the observatories. Subaru Telescope Director Masa Hayashi and family, Gemini Observatory astronomer Tom Geballe, Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope Director of Science Operations Pierre Martin, Keck Observatory Director Taft Armandroff and Director of Advancement Debbie Goodwin. The map of the galaxy, on which the Galaxy Garden was created, is based on the work of astronomer Leo Blitz of UC Berkeley. The garden uses vegetation to represent different objects or groups of objects in the Milky Way, and is a clever way to demonstrate the vast scale of our home galaxy. For example, all of the stars we can see with our naked eyes in the night sky are contained within a few croton shrubs in the Orion spur.

Galaxy Garden website
West Hawaii Today article
You never know who you'll run into in the galaxy - Nancy Tashima, Onizuka Space Ctr
The Hayashi family of Subaru Telescope behind the Orion spur, home of solar system
Dr Masa Hayashi showing the leaf where the sun and other nearby stars are located View from above galactic plane, looking at the Perseus Arm and guests beyond The black hole at the galactic center
Jon explaining features of the black hole fountain This precocious little boy was determined to find every feature of the Milky Way in the Galaxy Garden Dr Leo Blitz, UC Berkeley