News
News
W. M. Keck Observatory’s Adaptive Optics System Upgraded to ‘See’ in Infrared
Maunakea, Hawaii – W. M. Keck Observatory can now provide adaptive optics (AO) correction using light from cosmic objects at wavelengths invisible to the naked eye. Near-infrared AO wavefront sensing, in addition to sensing in visible light, is a new capability on the Keck II telescope thanks to a major upgrade, which involves the installation […]
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Review Of NSF’S Top Transformative Astronomy Tech Highlights Maunakea Observatories
Maunakea, Hawaii – A new study is shining a national spotlight on astronomy in Hawaii, underscoring the world-class science enabled by Maunakea Observatories’ cutting-edge technology. The study evaluates the 30-year history of the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Advanced Technologies and Instrumentation (ATI) program, which encourages ground-based telescopes to develop innovative instrumentation, even at high technical […]
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Unraveling a Spiral Stream of Dusty Embers from a Massive Binary Stellar Forge
Maunakea, Hawaii – Astronomers using three Maunakea Observatories have discovered one of the most prolific dust-making Wolf-Rayet star systems known, remarkably producing an entire Earth mass of dust every year. With nearly two decades of images from the world’s largest observatories – including W. M. Keck Observatory, Subaru Telescope, and Gemini Observatory in Hawaii – […]
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Rare Encounters Between Cosmic Heavyweights
Maunakea Observatories Discover Three Pairs of Merging Supermassive Black Holes Maunakea, Hawaii – A cosmic dance between two merging galaxies, each one containing a supermassive black hole that’s rapidly feeding on so much material it creates a phenomenon known as a quasar, is a rare find. Astronomers have discovered several pairs of such merging galaxies, […]
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100 Cool Worlds Found Near The Sun
Citizen Scientists Help Locate Some Of The Coolest Brown Dwarfs Ever Discovered Maunakea, Hawaii – How complete is our census of the Sun’s closest neighbors? Astronomers and a team of data-sleuthing volunteers participating in Backyard Worlds: Planet 9, a citizen science project, have discovered roughly 100 cool worlds near the Sun — objects more massive […]
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Calcium-Rich Supernova Examined With X-Rays For First Time
Unprecedented Observations Shine Light On A Compact Star’s Final Moments Maunakea, Hawaii – Most of the calcium in the universe, including the very calcium in our teeth and bones, was created in the last gasp of dying stars. Called “calcium-rich supernovae,” these stellar explosions are so rare that astrophysicists have struggled to find and subsequently […]
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Surprisingly Young Galaxy Breaks Low-Oxygen Record
Rare, Extremely Metal-Poor Nearby Galaxy Discovered With Machine Learning Maunakea, Hawaii – Astronomers using two Maunakea Observatories – Subaru Telescope and W. M. Keck Observatory – combined with the power of machine learning, have discovered a nearby galaxy that has broken the record for having the lowest level of oxygen ever seen. The researchers measured […]
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Maunakea Observatories’ Quick Reflexes Capture Fleeting Flash
The International Gemini Observatory and W. M. Keck Observatory Catch Short Gamma-Ray Burst Within Hours Maunakea, Hawai‘i – Astronomers have discovered the second-most distant confirmed short gamma-ray burst (SGRB) ever studied using two Maunakea Observatories in Hawaiʻi – W. M. Keck Observatory and the international Gemini Observatory, a Program of NSF’s NOIRLab. Observations confirm the […]
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Monster Black Hole Found in the Early Universe
The Second-most Distant Quasar Ever Discovered Now Has a Hawaiian Name Maunakea, Hawai‘i – Astronomers have discovered the second-most distant quasar ever found using three Maunakea Observatories in Hawai‘i: W. M. Keck Observatory, the international Gemini Observatory, a Program of NSF’s NOIRLab, and the University of Hawai‘i-owned United Kingdom Infrared Telescope (UKIRT). It is the […]
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Gary A. Chanan Receives 2020 Award for Advancement of Basic and Applied Science
W. M. Keck Observatory congratulates Dr. Gary A. Chanan, a pioneer and innovator in the field of telescope optics who played an important role in the Observatory’s segmented mirror technology. Chanan graduated from Yale in 1970 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics and Physics, embarking on a career that would prove foundational to […]
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