http://keckobservatory.org/index.php/blog en sjefferson@keck.hawaii.edu Copyright 2012 2012-10-24T21:23:45+00:00 http://keckobservatory.org/blog/behind_the_lens_an_interview_with_dr._mike_liu http://keckobservatory.org/blog/behind_the_lens_an_interview_with_dr._mike_liu#When:20:45:41Z In anticipation of Keck Week’s Science Meeting, we spent some time with one of the presenters, Dr. Michael Liu to find out what it was like to be an astronomer.   2013-02-04T20:45:41+00:00 http://keckobservatory.org/blog/polynesian_paradox http://keckobservatory.org/blog/polynesian_paradox#When:01:50:08Z The W.M. Observatory and Friends of Keck will commemorate the Keck Observatory’s 20th anniversary with Keck Week 2013 – a series of events beginning with a distinctive confluence of the brightest minds in astronomy alongside our country’s most significant scientific philanthropists.  To kick-off the festivities will be a two-day feast of astronomy discourse and finely honed presentations describing Keck Observatory’s impact on astronomy by the astronomers who are making it happen. 2013-01-10T01:50:08+00:00 http://keckobservatory.org/blog/keck_captures_most_detailed_images_of_uranus_ever_obtained_from_earth http://keckobservatory.org/blog/keck_captures_most_detailed_images_of_uranus_ever_obtained_from_earth#When:21:23:45Z Using NIRC2 coupled with Adaptive Optics on Keck II, the W. M. Observatory was able to produce the most detailed image ever produced of Uranus. The images were made from 117 images (left) and 118 images (right). 2012-10-24T21:23:45+00:00 http://keckobservatory.org/blog/dim_gets_ridiculously_dimmer http://keckobservatory.org/blog/dim_gets_ridiculously_dimmer#When:23:09:41Z Stars come in constellations, globular clusters, dwarf galaxies and galaxies, to name a few groups. Seems like pretty mundane stuff, until something strange pops up. And in astronomy, something strange pops up quite a lot. The latest is the discovery of a remarkably dim cluster of stars orbiting outside the Milky Way. The cluster, called Muñoz 1, puts out as much light as just 120 Sun-like stars. 2012-05-10T23:09:41+00:00 http://keckobservatory.org/blog/galaxies_juggling_square http://keckobservatory.org/blog/galaxies_juggling_square#When:20:05:18Z There are probably one or two hundred billion galaxies out there in the universe. So it’s not entirely surprising—though no less interesting—when some of those galaxies are spotted doing unusual tricks. Here are a couple of the latest galactic antics revealed by astronomers using the Keck Telescopes. 2012-04-16T20:05:18+00:00 http://keckobservatory.org/blog/50_years_keck_telescopes http://keckobservatory.org/blog/50_years_keck_telescopes#When:22:22:51Z It was 25 years ago that Hilton Lewis and Allan Honey started working on the Keck telescopes. They and some others are hitting the quarter century milestone and they have a lot to remember and celebrate. 2012-02-14T22:22:51+00:00 http://keckobservatory.org/blog/how_to_count_to_one http://keckobservatory.org/blog/how_to_count_to_one#When:23:24:53Z How many observatories are there on Mauna Kea? The honest answer is 12, or 13, eight or even one. Why so many answers? Because there is a lot more than math involved. 2012-01-12T23:24:53+00:00 http://keckobservatory.org/blog/keeping_keck_telescopes_shiny http://keckobservatory.org/blog/keeping_keck_telescopes_shiny#When:20:50:41Z They are two of the largest telescope mirrors on the planet and they only work if they are bright and shiny. Keeping them that way that at almost 14,000 feet above sea level, while also not disrupting nightly astronomical observations, involves an ongoing dance of men and machines. 2011-11-10T20:50:41+00:00 http://keckobservatory.org/blog/astronomical_myths_facts http://keckobservatory.org/blog/astronomical_myths_facts#When:20:37:48Z So you think you know something about those giant Keck telescopes up on Mauna Kea? Wanna bet? Test your O.I.Q. (that’s Observatory Intelligence Quotient) with this quick true-or-false pop quiz. 2011-10-18T20:37:48+00:00 http://keckobservatory.org/blog/interns_find_opportunities_at_keck_observatory http://keckobservatory.org/blog/interns_find_opportunities_at_keck_observatory#When:19:24:02Z The observatory interns of today are the professional engineers and scientists of tomorrow. Hear from three Keck summer interns about their projects, what they have learned and what Keck and other cutting edge high-tech organizations get from a summertime injection of young intellect 2011-08-12T19:24:02+00:00