2006 Press Releases

Newfound Diversity in Gamma-Ray Bursts

image

Dec 20, 2006

Berkeley (December 20th, 2006) Two brilliant flashes of light from nearby galaxies are puzzling astronomers and could indicate that gamma-ray bursts, which signal the birth of a black hole, are more diverse than once thought. The two new gamma-ray bursts…

Read full article »

NSF Awards $2 Million Grant to Improve Keck Interferometer

image

Dec 18, 2006

Kamuela (December 18th, 2006) The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded the W. M. Keck Observatory $2 million to improve the sensitivity and resolution of the Keck Interferometer. The improvements will enable the instrument to detect Jupiter-sized planets around other…

Read full article »

Images of Dwarf Planet Ceres

image

Oct 11, 2006

Pasadena, Calif. (October 11th, 2006) Although Ceres is the largest main-belt asteroid and was the first to be discovered (by G.Piazzi in 1801), its physical properties are still not well understood. While it is expected to have retained a large…

Read full article »

Keck Observatory’s Ben Berkey Named Volunteer of the Year

image

Sep 23, 2006

Hale Pohaku, Mauna Kea (September 23rd, 2006) The Mauna Kea Visitor Information Station (VIS) annual Volunteer Appreciation Banquet took place at Hale Pohaku on September 23, 2006. Forty-four volunteers joined in the celebration. Special awards were presented at the banquet.…

Read full article »

‘Champagne Supernovae’ Challenges Ideas About How Supernovae Work

image

Sep 20, 2006

Pasadena, Calif. (September 20th, 2006) An international team of astronomers at the California Institute of Technology, University of Toronto, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have discovered a supernova more massive than previously believed possible. Observations of the supernova were obtained…

Read full article »

W. M. Keck Observatory Science Meeting Takes Place September 15 at UC Irvine

image

Sep 5, 2006

Kamuela (September 5th, 2006) Science reporters are invited to attend the annual Keck Observatory Science Meeting on Friday, Sept. 15 at University of California, Irvine. The meeting features recent results from the Keck I and Keck II 10-meter telescopes on…

Read full article »

Elegant spiral arms betray existence of massive binary stars within bright star cluster

image

Aug 22, 2006

Kamuela, Hawaii (August 22nd, 2006) – The five red stars at the heart of the Quintuplet Cluster – one of the most massive clusters in the Milky Way Galaxy – may all be dusty pinwheels, a strange but beautiful type…

Read full article »

Internship Program Wraps with Student Symposium at ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center

image

Aug 2, 2006

Hilo, Hawaii (August 2nd, 2006) – The ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center in Hilo, which is dedicated to showcasing astronomy and culture in Hawaii, was an ideal venue for the 2006 Akamai Observatory Internship Symposium on Friday, July 28. In the center’s…

Read full article »

Keck telescope captures Jupiter’s Red Spot Jr. as it zips past planet’s Great Red Spot

image

Jul 29, 2006

Kamuela, Hawaii (July 29th, 2006) – Astronomers from the University of California, Berkeley, and the W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii this month snapped high-resolution near-infrared images of the Great Red Spot, a persistent, high-pressure storm on Jupiter, as a…

Read full article »

Three-telescope interferometer shows patchy red giants are common fate of stars like Sun

image

Jul 18, 2006

Kamuela, Hawaii (July 18th, 2006) - As astronomers increasingly link two telescopes as interferometers to reveal greater detail of distant stars, a Keck Observatory astronomer is showing the power of linking three or even more telescopes together. Astronomer Sam Ragland…

Read full article »

Keck Observatory video wins 2006 Telly Award for excellence in video production

image

Jul 12, 2006

Kamuela, Hawaii (July 12th, 2006) - An educational video produced by the W. M. Keck Observatory and the production company Earlybird & Friends has won a Silver Telly Award, the highest of the Telly Awards given annually to honor outstanding…

Read full article »

NSF Partnership Funds Instrument for World’s Largest Telescope

image

May 25, 2006

Kamuela, Hawaii (May 25th, 2006) The W. M. Keck Observatory and the National Science Foundation (NSF) announced that $5 million of NSF funding has been granted over the next four years to design and construct a major new capability for…

Read full article »

Taft E. Armandroff Appointed Director for W. M. Keck Observatory

image

Feb 2, 2006

Kamuela (February 2nd, 2006) The Board of the California Association for Research in Astronomy (CARA), the governing body for the W. M. Keck Observatory, is pleased to announce that Dr. Taft E. Armandroff has been appointed director of the Observatory,…

Read full article »

Trojan Asteroid Patroclus: Comet in Disguise?

image

Feb 1, 2006

Mauna Kea (February 1st, 2006) Like the hollow wooden horse hiding Greek warriors in the Trojan War, could an entire population of asteroids be masquerading as comets? Observations of the binary Trojan asteroid (617) Patroclus taken at the W. M.…

Read full article »

Spend The Summer Among the Stars: Internships Available at Observatories on Mauna Kea

image

Jan 20, 2006

Kamuela (January 20th, 2006) The Akamai Observatory Internship Program offers remarkable opportunities to participate in the exciting world of modern astronomy via paid summer internships at Observatories on Mauna Kea. The Akamai program pairs undergraduate university and community college students…

Read full article »

`OHANA to Link Seven Mauna Kea Telescopes

image

Jan 13, 2006

Mauna Kea (January 13th, 2006) A team of scientists in partnership with the W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii have successfully passed the first test in a project that will link the seven largest telescopes on Mauna Kea together to…

Read full article »

Scientists See Better, Fainter with New Keck Laser Guide Star

image

Jan 10, 2006

Washington D. C. (January 10th, 2006) A new sodium laser is giving 50 times more sky coverage to the atmospheric-correcting technology known as adaptive optics on the Keck II telescope at Mauna Kea, Hawaii. The laser lets scientists explore most…

Read full article »

GRAIN GROWTH IN ORION NEBULA PROTOPLANETARY DISKS

image

Jan 6, 2006

WASHINGTON, D. C. (January 6th, 2006) New observations of the Orion Nebula at infrared wavelengths reveal that small dust grains located in disks around young stars are growing, taking the initial steps toward forming planets despite bathing in a flood…

Read full article »