2010 Press Releases

SPECTRUM OF YOUNG EXTRASOLAR PLANET YIELDS SURPRISING RESULTS

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Aug 30, 2010

Kamuela, HI - Astronomers at the University of Hawaii have measured the temperature of a young gas-giant planet around another star using the W. M. Keck Observatory, and the results are puzzling. They have found that its atmosphere is unlike…

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NSF Awards $1.72 Million to Improve the Keck I Laser Guide Star Adaptive Optics System

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Aug 11, 2010

Kamuela, HI— The W. M. Keck Observatory has received a $1.72 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to design the first near-infrared tip-tilt sensor used to correct for the turbulence in Earth’s atmosphere. The improvements will increase the…

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Reverse cosmic lens advances quasar studies

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Jul 15, 2010

Kamuela, HI—Astronomers using Keck Observatory have identified the first known quasar acting as a gravitational lens that magnifies an even more distant galaxy. The discovery may provide astronomers with a new technique to study quasars. Quasars are extraordinarily luminous and…

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Zooming in on Infant Planetary Systems

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Jun 15, 2010

MAUNA KEA, HI—Using both 10-meter Keck telescopes together, astronomers at the W. M. Keck Observatory have been able to peer deeper into proto-planetary disks, swirling clouds of gas and dust that feed the growing stars in their centers and eventually…

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Keck Observatory Project Scientist wins 2010 Kavli Prize

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Jun 3, 2010

KAMUELA, HI—Jerry Nelson, an astronomer at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and designer of the revolutionary segmented-mirror Keck telescopes will share the $1 million Kavli Prize in Astrophysics with two other researchers for their innovations in the field of…

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Steidel receives Gruber Cosmology Prize for observations of earliest galaxies

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Jun 2, 2010

NEW YORK, NY – Charles Steidel, the Lee A. DuBridge Professor of Astronomy at the California Institute of Technology, is the recipient of the 2010 Cosmology Prize of The Peter and Patricia Gruber Foundation. The award recognizes Steidel’s revolutionary studies…

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Possible new type of supernovae puts calcium in your bones

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May 19, 2010

KAMUELA, HI — New data from several telescopes, including the W. M. Keck Observatory, suggest astronomers may have identified a new type of supernovae. The stellar death is thought to have originated in a star that was a low-mass white…

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Keck Observatory showcases local artist’s work

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May 6, 2010

KAMUELA, HI—Laurie Goldstein, a resident of North Kohala, will present a mixed media art show, entitled “Universe in Color” at the W. M. Keck Observatory headquarters, located at 65-1120 Mamalahoa Highway, in Waimea. The exhibit runs from May 20 to…

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Astronomers See Historical Supernova From New Angle

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Mar 31, 2010

MAUNA KEA, HI— By observing visible “light echoes,” astronomers have assembled one of the first 3-D perspectives of a cosmic object. The new view of the supernova remnant Cassiopeia A confirms that it formed during a lopsided explosion. “Light echoes…

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Keck telescope confirms smallest known star duo

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Mar 8, 2010

Astronomers using the W. M. Keck Observatory have identified the smallest known binary system to date. The system, called HM Cancri, consists of two dead stars that revolve around each other in 5.4 minutes, by far the shortest known orbital…

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New tidal streams found in Andromeda reveal history of galactic mergers

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Jan 7, 2010

WASHINGTON D.C.—The Andromeda galaxy has two previously unknown tidal streams, according to data recently taken at the W. M. Keck Observatory and Subaru Telescope. The coherent flows of stars are remnants of dwarf galaxies that Andromeda has been consuming over…

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Second smallest exoplanet found to date discovered at Keck

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Jan 7, 2010

WASHINGTON D.C.— Planet hunters using Keck Observatory have detected an extrasolar planet that is only four times the mass of Earth. The planet is the second smallest exoplanet ever discovered and adds to astronomers’ growing cadre of low mass planets…

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Waltzing black holes take center stage at astronomy meeting

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Jan 4, 2010

WASHINGTON D.C.—Astronomers using the W. M. Keck Observatory have discovered 33 pairs of black holes in distant galaxies. The new results verify that these waltzing black holes are more common than previously observed. Nearly every galaxy has a central, supermassive…

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