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Science News
MOON DISCOVERED ORBITING 10th PLANET (2003 UB313)
MAUNA KEA, Hawaii (October 3rd, 2005) Scientists are over the moon at the W. M. Keck Observatory and the California Institute of Technology over a new discovery of a satellite orbiting the Solar System’s 10th planet (2003 UB313). The newly discovered moon orbits the farthest object ever seen in the Solar System. The existence of […]
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MILESTONE FOR KECK INTERFEROMETER
JPL PRESS RELEASE (September 29th, 2005) Are we alone in the universe? Are there planets like Earth around other “suns” that might harbor life? Thanks to a recent technology breakthrough on a key NASA planet-finding project, the dream of answering those questions is no longer light-years away. On a crystal clear, star-filled night at Hawaii’s […]
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RESULTS FROM ‘DEEP IMPACT’ MISSION: MAUNA KEA’S GIANT EYES REUNITE COMET FAMILIES
MAUNA KEA, Hawaii (September 15th, 2005) When NASA’s Deep Impact mission ploughed into comet 9P/Tempel 1 on July 4th of this year, the giant telescopes on Mauna Kea had a unique view of the massive cloud of dust, gas and ice expelled during the collision. A series of coordinated observations, made under ideal conditions by […]
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DEBBIE GOODWIN APPOINTED DIRECTOR OF ADVANCEMENT
KAMUELA, Hawaii (August 8th, 2005) Debbie Goodwin has been named director of advancement at the W. M. Keck Observatory on Hawaii Island. Ms. Goodwin was most recently the Interim Director of Advancement for Humboldt State University. The W. M. Keck Observatory established a development office in 2005 to bring philanthropic resources to match the highest […]
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RECORD OF DECISION ISSUED FOR OUTRIGGER TELESCOPE PROJECT
WASHINGTON, D. C. (August 5th, 2005) NASA has released its Record of Decision concerning the Outrigger Telescopes Project, selecting the W.M. Keck Observatory on Mauna Kea as the site for the project. In its decision, NASA states: “No alternate site matches the scientific capability of the W. M. Keck Observatory on Mauna Kea, which hosts […]
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PUBLIC INVITED TO DEEP IMPACT
MAUNA KEA, Hawaii (July 3rd, 2005) For the first time ever, the W. M. Keck Observatory will let the public “eavesdrop” on actual observations as they come in from Deep Impact, a NASA Discovery Mission and the first to go to a comet. The event will provide a rare opportunity for the public to share […]
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KECK FINDS FIRST LARGE ROCKY PLANET FOUND OUTSIDE THE SOLAR SYSTEM
MAUNA KEA, Hawaii (June 13th, 2005) Data obtained at the W. M. Keck Observatory has resulted in the discovery of the most earth-like world to ever be discovered—but it’s not likely to hold that record for long. The discovery centers around the smallest extrasolar planet to ever be discovered and the first in a new […]
Read More >HOT ON THE TRAIL OF NATURE’S EXOTIC FLASHERS
Minneapolis, Minnesota (May 31st, 2005) Astronomers have uncovered tantalizing insight into the origin of short gamma-ray bursts, a mysterious class of high-energy transients that have eluded detail study until now. Unlike their long-duration cousins, which are known to arise when massive young stars die, short bursts appear to occur when old, dense neutron stars collide. […]
Read More >ANDROMEDA GALAXY THREE TIMES BIGGER IN DIAMETER THAN PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT
206th AAS MEETING (May 30th, 2005) The lovely Andromeda galaxy appeared as a warm fuzzy blob to the ancients. To modern astronomers millennia later, it appeared as an excellent opportunity to better understand the universe. In the latter regard, our nearest galactic neighbor is a gift that keeps on giving. Scott Chapman, from the California […]
Read More >FIRST-EVER INFRARED FLASH CHALLENGES OLD NOTION OF NATURE’S BIGGEST BANG
MAUNA KEA, Hawaii (May 11th, 2005) The W. M. Keck Observatory has helped confirm a big discovery by an unassumingly small robotic telescope in Arizona. The first infrared flash found during a gamma-ray burst, one of nature’s brightest explosions, looked much like a low energy version of the burst itself suggesting a common origin between […]
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