Subaru's Celestial Connection

The Subaru Telescope, located atop Mauna Kea on Hawaii, shares its name with a Japanese automaker known for its outdoorsy branding. This unusual pairing may raise questions about whether Subaru paid to have its name on the telescope.

However, their names are both inspired by a star cluster called 'subaru' in Japanese, which is also known as the Pleiades or Seven Sisters in English.

The Pleiades is a tight formation of stars visible with the naked eye all the way from Australia to northern Europe, and its easily recognizable shape has led to stories of the Seven Sisters appearing in oral traditions from around the world.

In English, the star cluster that both Subarus take their name from is known as the Pleiades or Seven Sisters. It's a tight formation of stars that sits in the Taurus cluster, close enough to the celestial equator that it can be seen with the naked eye.

The cluster's easily recognizable shape and high visibility mean that stories of the Seven Sisters abound in oral traditions from around the world, including Aboriginal Australian traditions, Greek mythology, and Iroquois oral histories.

Despite the prevalence of the titular seven sisters, savvy stargazers will note that only six stars in the Pleiades are visible, depending on the conditions. Those six stars are represented on Subaru's logo, and for the automaker at least, they also represent the six companies and investors that merged to form Subaru in 1953.

The sister Subaru left out of the logo is a reminder of the company's humble beginnings and its connection to Japanese culture.

This unique naming connection highlights the importance of cultural exchange and astronomical observations throughout history, demonstrating how names can transcend borders and industries.

As the Subaru Telescope continues to expand our knowledge of planets orbiting other stars, it serves as a poignant reminder of the celestial connections that inspire human innovation.