News
Announcements
CARA Board Announces W. M. Keck Observatory Leadership Change
Director Hilton Lewis to Step Down Rich Matsuda to Serve as Interim Director UC’s Bruce Macintosh and Caltech’s Lynne Hillenbrand to Co-chair Search Committee for New Director Kamuela, Hawaiʻi, April 20, 2023 – The Board of Directors for the California Association for Research in Astronomy (CARA) today announced W. M. Keck Observatory Director Hilton Lewis […]
Read More >
W. M. Keck Observatory Sets Climate Action Goal: Net-Zero Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 2035
Kamuela/Maunakea, Hawaiʻi – Compelled by the urgent need to take critical action on the global climate crisis, W. M. Keck Observatory has set a goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2035, as outlined in a recent report published in the journal Nature Astronomy. “We are serious about being good stewards of our precious environment,” said […]
Read More >
Director’s Message: Maunakea’s Future
Aloha, Today, Governor David Ige signed HB2024 into law, establishing a new governance and management structure for Maunakea by creating the Mauna Kea Stewardship and Oversight Authority. We believe this is a positive way forward, one that upholds our core principles,* is inclusive of the native Hawaiian community in decision-making, and is consistent with our […]
Read More >
Director’s Message: How Andrea Ghez Won the Nobel for an Experiment Nobody Thought Would Work
She insisted on doing it anyway—and ultimately provided conclusive evidence for a supermassive black hole at the core of the Milky Way Standing in my office 25 years ago was an unknown, newly minted astronomer with a half-smile on her face. She had come with an outrageous request—really a demand—that my team modify our exhaustively […]
Read More >
Director’s Message: COVID-19
UPDATE: OCTOBER 19, 2020 Aloha Kākou, The COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a major impact on us all, and the world of research astronomy is no exception. Despite the many challenges we continue to face – from a temporary shutdown in early Spring to capacity restrictions on our summit personnel – our staff has been […]
Read More >
Existing Maunakea telescopes announce return to work
HILO, HI – After a four-week suspension of work at the summit of Maunakea, the existing telescopes will attempt a return to operations. “The Maunakea Observatories represent an invaluable sector for Hawai‘i Island and our entire State – the economic impact, intellectual capital, educational resources and community support they provide is irreplaceable,” said Governor David […]
Read More >
Maunakea Observatories Suspend Summit Activities to Ensure Safety of All During TMT Construction Preparations
The following statement can be attributed to Dr. Jessica Dempsey, Deputy Director, East Asian Observatory: “This afternoon, the directors of the existing observatories on Maunakea made the joint decision to withdraw all personnel from their telescope facilities at the summit to guarantee the safety of their staff – the institutions’ top priority. Without guaranteed reliable […]
Read More >
W. M. Keck Observatory Names New Chief Scientist
Waimea (Kamuela), Hawaii – W. M. Keck Observatory is very pleased to announce John O’Meara’s appointment as Chief Scientist, effective December 3, 2018. “We are very pleased to welcome John as the Chief Scientist of Keck Observatory,” said W. M. Keck Observatory Director Hilton Lewis. “In this role, he will be responsible for the stewardship […]
Read More >
Director’s Message: Hurricane Lane Update
Kamuela (Waimea), Hawaii – We are now seeing the impacts of Hurricane Lane across Hawaii Island, with multiple road closures due to heavy rain, flooding, and landslides. As such, Keck Observatory will remain closed tomorrow, Friday, August 24. Observing is also cancelled tomorrow night (Friday). Our Keck Observatory ohana remains safe, and inspections today showed […]
Read More >
Director’s Message: Hurricane Lane
Kamuela (Waimea), Hawaii – To ensure the safety of our ohana as Hurricane Lane makes its closest approach to Hawaii Island, Keck Observatory will be closed tomorrow, Thursday, August 23. Observing is also cancelled tonight (Wednesday) and tomorrow night (Thursday). Our Emergency Management Team will continue to closely monitor weather conditions. On Thursday, after the […]
Read More >
