Astronomers share recent discoveries from the W. M. Keck Observatory at Mauna Kea, Hawaii. Some files may contain copyrighted material and are licensed for private, personal use only.

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Dr. Paul Butler - Extrasolar Planets: The Last Decade, and the Next

(July 24, 2008) Dr. Paul Butler from the Carnegie Institution of Washington, Department of Terrestrial Magnetism presents “Extrasolar Planets: The Last Decade, and the Next.” Before 1995 planets outside our Solar System were the stuff of science fiction, Star Wars and Star Trek. Now with nearly 300 exo-planets known, many of them discovered at Keck, we are focused on new challenges: finding planetary systems similar to our own Solar System and small rocky planets like Earth

Science Standards:

Dr. Gregory Laughlin - Searching for Other Habitable Worlds

(June 18, 2008) Dr. Gregory Laughlin from the University of California at Santa Cruz and his colleagues have been leading the way in the search for exoplanets, discovering about 60% of known planets around other nearby stars. For more than a decade, most of the planets that were identified are gas giant planets like our Jupiter. Now, the Keck Planet Hunters are driving the world's largest telescope to find small rocky planets at distances that could harbor liquid water, a prerequisite for habitable worlds.

Science Standards:

Dr. Rafael Millan-Gabet - Planet Forming Disks: What We Can Learn by Combining the World's Largest Telescopes

(May 22, 2008) Dr. Rafael Millan-Gabet from the California Institute of Technology presents “Planet Forming Disks - What We Can Learn by Combining the World's Largest Telescopes.” His research examines physical conditions in the inner parts of disks around young stars, where planets like Earth are believed to form. Combining the largest existing telescopes so they act in concert, the Keck Interferometer, provides unprecedented detail, and allows us to infer crucial properties of exo-Earth nurseries.

Science Standards:

Dr. James Graham - Planetary Debris Disks

(April 24, 2008) Dr. James Graham from the University of California at Berkeley. presents “Planetary Debris Disks.” Planetary debris disks are circumstellar clouds of dust detected in young solar systems. This dust is believed to be released by collisions between larger bodies such as comets, asteroids and even planets. Although discovered in the early 1980's adaptive optics imaging from the Keck Observatory are now giving our first clear view of planetary debris disks in other solar systems.

Science Standards:

Dr. Mike Bolte - Recycling and Synthesis in the Cosmos

(February 10, 2008) Dr. Mike Bolte from the University of California Observatories discusses the enormous advances being made in the study of stellar evolution and the genesis of elements from the simple to the complex. Mike and his collaborators make observations of the oldest stars and star clusters in our Milky Way Galaxy to better understand the first epoch of star formation. Catch a glimpse of the complex methodology and modeling required to measure the chemistry of the cosmos using the Keck telescopes.

Science Standards:

Dr. Richard Ellis - Cosmic Dawn: Pursuit of the First Galaxies

(January 16, 2008) Dr. Richard Ellis discusses how using a pioneering technique called “gravitational lensing,” an international team of astronomers measures traces of the very first galaxies formed after the Big Bang. Richard, the Steele Professor of Astronomy at the California Institute of Technology, and his colleagues have made remarkable progress in the past few years uncovering the evolution of the early Universe – the light they measure began its journey to the Keck telescopes more than 13 billion years ago.

Science Standards:

Dr. Jerry Nelson - Making it Big in Astronomy

(December 19, 2007) In 1977, Jerry Nelson, at the time a physicist at UC’s Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, was asked to join a group to vision the future of US astronomy. For Jerry it was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to design a major apparatus with “cosmic implications.” His work translated into the revolutionary twin-10 meter Keck telescopes, and Jerry’s gift for devising solutions to large technical challenges continues to make its mark in astronomical innovation.

Science Standards: How Information is Collected and Analyzed; How a Telescope Works

Dr. Michael Liu - Where Do Planets Come From?

(September 10, 2007) Understanding the birth of planets has been a long-sought goal--the key to learning about Earth and the possible types of solar systems orbiting other stars. What are Mauna Kea Observatories telling us about our cosmic origins? What amazing discoveries are being made with the most technologically advanced telescopes in the world? Dr. Michael Liu helps us to find the answers.

Science Standards: Describe the nature of our solar system; discuss current scientific views about our solar system; describe how technology is being used to conduct scientific investigations.

Dr. Lynne Hillenbrand - The Tale of Star and Planet Formation

(August 16, 2007) Star and planet formation is happening today in a molecular cloud near you! By observing objects of different ages we can develop an understanding of how the process works. Dr. Hillenbrand, from the California Institute of Technology, will highlight her observations made at the Keck Observatory to help tell this tale.

Science Standards: Describe the nature of our solar system; discuss current scientific views about our solar system; describe how technology is being used to conduct scientific investigations.

Dr. James Larkin - OSIRIS: The Latest Keck Instrument and its Science

(July 22, 2007) UCLA astronomer Dr. James Larkin talks about reserch using OSIRIS. OSIRIS is the newest instrument at Keck and is designed to dissect small patches of the sky in unprecedented detail. It has already been applied to study the moons of Jovian planets, the black hole at the center of our Galaxy, some of the most distant galaxies and many objects in between. This talk will describe how the instrument works and then describe many of the discoveries from its first year of science.

Science Standards: Describe how information is gathered and analyzed about the universe by using technology.

Dr. Edward C. Stone - Voyager Mission: The Journey Continues

(June 22, 2007) From the "Evenings with Astronomers" series. Dr. Edward C. Stone, the David Morrisroe Professor of Physics at Caltech and one of the leading scientists of our time, has been the project scientist for the Voyager Mission since 1972. As the two Voyager spacecraft flew by Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, they revealed a solar system with worlds of unimagined diversity. The Voyagers are now exploring the solar system's final frontier, the outermost region of a giant bubble called the heliosphere that envelops all the planets.

Science Standards: Describe the nature of our solar system; discuss current scientific views about our solar system; describe how technology is being used to conduct scientific investigations.

Dr. Charles Beichman - Are There Other Worlds? Modern Answers to a 2500-Year-Old Question

(May 22, 2007) From the "Evenings with Astronomers" Series. Dr. Charles Beichman of the Michelson Science Center at Caltech talks about the 21st century tools being used to answer one of the most ancient questions: "Are there other worlds like our own?" How are astronomers probing the birthplace of stars and planets? How will scientists know if a planet supports life? Dr. Beichman explains the modern search for answers.

Science Standards: Design and conduct investigations to answer questions; Use the problem-solving process to address current issues; Describe what constitutes the universe.

Dr. Imke de Pater - Dusty Rings in Our Solar System: One Ring, Two Ring, Red Ring, Blue Ring

(May 8, 2007) Dr. Imke de Pater of the University of California at Berkely talks about how the giant planets in our solar system are surrounded with ring systems, similar to the planetary disks around stars. Within these ring systems are narrow ringlets, broad dust sheets, wavy structures and small satellites. In the summer of 2007 Uranus' rings will appear edge-on to observers on Earth, a marvelous opportunity to learn more about this system.

Science Standards: Earth in the Solar System (seasonal analogues to Uranus); Regular and Predictible Motion; Earth as one in a series of systems in the Solar System.

Dr. Michael Brown - Pluto and Other Dwarf Planets: Discoveries in Our Solar System

(March 27, 2007) From the "Evenings with Astronomers" series. In 2005, Dr. Michael Brown and his colleagues discovered 2003 UB313, now officially known as "Eris." The discovery marked the first time in 75 years that an object larger than Pluto had been found in our solar system. The discovery turned the astronomical world on its head. Scientists had to consider if size was the only metric by which to define a planet. The debate unleashed an avalanche of questions concerning planetary science and the role scientists play in defining the word "planet" for local and global communities.

Science Standards: Earth in the Solar System; Forces that Shape the Earth; Scientific Views of the Universe.

Dr. Claire Max - Adaptive Optics: A Sharper Image Leads the Way

(March 13, 2007) Dr. Claire Max of the University of California at Santa Cruz. Dr. Max is a pioneer in the field of adaptive optics, a technology that compensates for the blurring of images by Earth's atmosphere. As director of the Center for Adaptive Optics, Dr. Max helps develop and apply adaptive optics technology to large, ground-based telescopes. In this talk, Dr. Max explains how recent advancements in adaptive optics have increased our knowledge about active black holes and our own solar system, particularly the planet Neptune and Saturn's moon, Titan.

Science Standards: Electromagnetic Radiation; Energy, its Transformation and Matter; Forces of the Universe.

Dr. Taft Armandroff - The Astronomical Frontier: New Opportunities for Discovery

(February 27, 2007) Dr. Taft Armandroff of the W. M. Keck Observatory kicks off the 2nd annual "Evenings with Astronomers" lecture series at the Fairmont Orchid in Hawaii, supported by the Rob & Terry Ryan Foundation. In this talk, Dr. Armandroff charts the significant technological milestones in astronomical research and describes how new technology is being applied to answer profound questions about the cosmos.

Science Standards: Scientific Inquiry; Technological Impacts; Relating the Nature of Technology to Science.

Dr. J. Davy Kirkpatrick - Brown Dwarfs: The Gap Between Stars and Planets

(December 29, 2006) Dr. J. Davy Kirkpatrick of the California Institute of Technology talks about 'failed stars' known as Brown Dwarfs. Because these objects fall between stars and planets, they have traits common to both. Brown dwarfs could possibly outnumber stars by a factor of 2 to 1, meaning the Sun's nearest neighbor in space may not be Proxima Centauri, but instead an even closer brown dwarf not yet identified. What do brown dwarfs tell us about the life of stars? Ages 14 and up.

Science Standards: How Stars Produce Energy; Universe: Compare and Contrast Stars; Scientific Views of the Universe.

Dr. Richard Ellis - Searching for Cosmic Dawn: the First Stars and Galaxies in the Universe

(October 25, 2006) Dr. Richard Ellis, Steele Professor of Astronomy at the California Institute of Technology discusses the evidence which suggests the universe began in a hot big bang nearly 14 billion years ago. Some 500,000 years after this event, astronomers believe dark clouds of hydrogen began collapsing to form the very first stars and galaxies. Observing the moment when the universe emerged from darkness is one of the frontiers in cosmology. Good progress has been made and revealed some interesting surprises. Professor Ellis describes the exciting hunt for this most prized goal - witnessing the dawn of stars and galaxies in the early universe. Ages 14 and up.

Science Standards: Universe; Forces of the Universe; Scientific Views of the Universe; How Information is Collected and Analyzed; How a Telescope Works.

Dr. Richard Wainscoat - Preserving Hawaii's Precious Dark Skies

(April 2, 2006) Dr. Richard Wainscoat of the University of Hawaii shares important information about light pollution and its social and environmental impacts. Practical tips are provided for what you can do today in your own home. Ages 10 and up.

Science Standards: Malama I Ka `Aina: Sustainability; Interdependence of Science, Technology and Society; Wellness.

Dr. Karen Meech - Results of the Deep Impact Mission

(December 21, 2005) Dr. Karen Meech of the University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy shares results of the 'Deep Impact Mission' to a comet. The mission arrived at comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005 (UT) to learn what chemicals may have been present in the solar system 4.5 billion years ago. Ages 14 and up.

Science Standards: Structure and properties of matter; chemical reactions; motions and forces; origin and evolution of the solar system.

Dr. Charles Steidel - Violence in the Young Universe

(October 17, 2005) Dr. Charles Steidel of the California Institute of Technology talks about an exciting time in our Universe, marked with supernova explosions, intensely burning quasars and star formation rates beyond anything ever seen since. These events are responsible for shaping much of the large-scale structure that we see in the Universe today, which is described. Ages 14 and up.

Science Standards: Gravitational force of matter, properties of energy; transfer and transformation.

Dr. Puragra Guhathakurta - The Milky Way, Schrodinger's Cat and You

(September 22, 2005) Dr. Puragra Guhathakurta ("Raja") of the University of California, in collaboration with Sandra Faber, presents "The Milky Way, Schrodinger's Cat, and You," a lecture about the birth and evolution of galaxies like the Milky Way. Raja takes us back in time to the earliest imaginable instant in the history of the Universe -- an infinitesimal fraction of a second after the Big Bang. In this journey Raja provides evidence for how Quantum mechanics is responsible for the large scale structure of the Universe we see today. Ages 14 and up.

Science Standards: Relationships among force, mass and motion; transformation of energy; effects of change on systems in the natural world.