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.

Subscribe to this Podcast! (What is this?)

Limitation of Liability: The W. M. Keck Observatory is not liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of the use or download of any files on this page by any person or organization. These limitations apply to all causes of action and is intended to be as broad as possible.

"Where Do Planets Come From?"
MP3 (9 MB) PDF

Understanding the birth of planets is 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 telescope in the world? The Science Standards: Objects in solar systems move in regular and predictable motion; explain what holds the Earth and other planets in their orbits; the relationship between gravitational force, masses of objects, and the distance between them.

"OSIRIS: The Latest Keck Instrument and its Science "
MP3 (9 MB)PDF

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 byusing technology.

"Voyager Mission: The Journey Continues"
MP3 (9 MB) PDF (Not Available)

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.

"Are There Other Worlds? Modern Answers to a 2500-Year-Old Question"
MP3 (19.3 MB) PDF (5.3 MB)

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.

"Dusty Rings in Our Solar System: One Ring, Two Ring, Red Ring, Blue Ring"
MP3 (21. MB) PDF (6.2 MB)

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.

"A Sharper Image: Adaptive Optics Leads the Way"
MP3 (24 MB) PDF(27 MB)

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.

"Pluto and Other Dwarf Planets: Discoveries in Our Solar System"
MP3 (24.4 MB) PDF (2 MB)

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.

"The Astronomical Frontier: New Opportunities for Discovery"
MP3 (25 MB) PDF (5 MB)

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.

"Brown Dwarfs: Bridging the Gap Between Stars and Planets"
MP3 (18.5 MB) PDF (5.8 MB)

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.

"Searching for Cosmic Dawn: the First Stars and Galaxies in the Universe"
MP3 (22.4 MB) PDF (8.3 MB)

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.

"Preserving Our Precious, Dark Skies"
MP3 (25 MB) PDF (LARGE File! 150 MB)

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.

"Results of the Deep Impact Mission"
MP3 (26.6 MB) PDF (5 MB)

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.

"Violence in the Young Universe"

MP3 (15.4 MB) (Not Available)
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.

"The Milky Way, Schrodinger's Cat and You"

MP3 (24.6 MB) PPT (7.1 MB)

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.