The raising of the first of 11 slivers that compose the dome. (Alexandra Edwards)
A Family Affair
Café/Bar manager Soraya Riroroko cheers on her brother Kai. (Alexandra Edwards)
Assessing the Work
Edmundo and Mara evaluate the progress of the construction. (Alexandra Edwards)
Beyond the Rafters
Getting the slivers up there... (Alexandra Edwards)
Cubist Spectacle
Sawing on the rooftops. (Alexandra Edwards)
Solo Cowboy
Our nephew Mako Riroroko chips in. (Alexandra Edwards)
Many Hands Make Light Work
Cristián Vidal lends a hand. It looked easy from down below... It wasn't. (Alexandra Edwards)
A Pause
Kai Riroroko takes a short break. (Alexandra Edwards)
Inside Out
Peko Riroroko and his nephew Mako joining the slivers together. (Alexandra Edwards)
Double the Fun
Two generations of the same family collaborate together. (Alexandra Edwards)
Silhouette
Joining the peaks together. (Alexandra Edwards)
A Small Step...
Stepping into gear. (Alexandra Edwards)
Almost There
Just three slivers to go! (Alexandra Edwards)
Up and Up
Peko sets up for the next one. (Alexandra Edwards)
Leadership at Work
Cristián Vidal addresses his team. (Alexandra Edwards)
Stairway to Heaven
Well, ladder, but still... (Alexandra Edwards)
Joining the Last Sliver
This sliver was by far the hardest one to put up! (Alexandra Edwards)
Domo Complete
The dome stands finished. (Alexandra Edwards)
Terrace Bar
Because you didn't think we'd forget to have a bar, did you? (Alexandra Edwards)
Barfly?
The only thing he's missing is a telescope. (Alexandra Edwards)
Our Bright Stars
YURI BELETSKY
King of the Night
Calm night when only the moai and the fishermen are awake as Orion and Sirius shine above them.
Moai Rainbow
Cloudy night sky and rising Moon produce a spectacular game of coulours at Rano Raraku,
Zodiacal Rano Kao
Zodiacal light above the crater lake at Rano Kau. Notice the stars reflected on the water!
Pacific Sky
Fantastic atmospheric airglow phenomenon at Anakena beach.
Jupiter Rising
Jupiter is rising just above a hill at Anakena, which was illuminated by airglow and the headlights of a car.
Polynesian Milky Way
Culminating Milky Way over Anakena beach.
Silent Rapanui Night
The night sky over beautiful Anakena beach.
Anakena Milky Way
Taken on such a calm night, only the horses could be heard making their way through this amazing scenery.
Stargazing at a Remote Beach
The Milky Way rising with the Southern Cross, Alpha and Beta Centauri, and the red nebula Eta Carinae (at the top) decorate the night sky.
Sleeping Giants
The Moon and Venus setting behind the moai statues at Ahu Nau Nau.
Easter Island Night Sky
Here the Milky Way appears perfectly aligned with the topography of Anakena, hitting the hill just left of Ahu Nau Nau in Anakena.
Eclipse
A LATAM Dreamliner 787 jet passes just in front of the Sun during takeoff from Rapa Nui to Santiago, Chile.
Great Comet of July
Ok, so Yuri takes pictures in other places too, and we couldn't leave out this picture. Comet C/2014 Q1, the Moon, and a tree captured at Valle Río Hurtado, Chile.
GUSTAVO BÓRQUEZ PAOA
E Tui
E Tui (The expelled: the sword of Orion's Belt). Those expelled were supposedly from Hiva, the Rapanui homeland.
Mata Mea
Mata Mea (Red eye: Mars). Mars marked the biennial Koro festival and, depending on viewing conditions, was generally considered a bad omen.
Matariki
Matariki (Small eyes/Chiefly eyes: The Pleiades). This is the most important asterism in all Polynesia, marking the start of the New Year on all the different islands and even sharing cognates of the same name.
Te Mataa
Te Mataa (The obsidian spearpoint: The Southern Cross). This is a prominent asterism in the Southern Hemisphere, used to find direction.
Mata Po Nui
Mata Po Nui (The eye of the great darkness/Spiritworld: Spica).
Ko Toe Ko Peu Renga1
Ko Toe Ko Peu Renga #1 (The wake of the fine pickaxe/energy: Menkalinan & Capella)
Ko Toe Ko Peu Renga
Ko Toe Ko Peu Renga #2 (The remnants of the fine pickaxe/energy: Menkalinan & Capella)
Nga Vaka
Nga Vaka (The canoes: Alpha and Beta Centaurii). These stars which were important for navigation, represented the two canoes used by brother and sister Hotu Matu’a and Ava Rei Pua, the legendary founders of Rapa Nui. Alpha Centauri is the third-brightest star in the night sky, after Sirius, and Canopus.
Kete
Kete (The basket: Aldebaran, Delta, Theta, & Epsilon Tauri). These 4 stars announced the start of the period of abundance.
Ko Para Tahiri
Ko Para Tahiri (The war club of Tahiri: Arcturus). Arcturus is the fourth-brightest star in the night sky, after Sirius, Canopus, and Alpha Centauri.
Tau Toru
Tau Toru (The beautiful three: Orion's Belt). In both Tahiti and Rapa Nui, these stars represent a man who killed his wife in a fit of jealousy, and then regretful, parted with his two children to search for her in the Spiritworld.
Nga Vaka (The canoes: Alpha and Beta Centaurii). These stars which were important for navigation, represented the two canoes used by brother and sister Hotu Matu’a and Ava Rei Pua, the legendary founders of Rapa Nui. Alpha Centauri is the third-brightest star in the night sky, after Sirius, and Canopus.