Category: News
But Why: A Podcast for Curious Kids – Why does space have so many planets?
But Why is a project of Vermont Public Join us on a tour of our solar system with John O’Meara, chief scientist at the W.M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii. We’ll answer all of your questions about planets! How were the planets in our solar system made? Why are some planets made of gas and others…
A Wave of Ancient Quasars from the Dawn of the Universe
Keck Observatory and ESA’s Euclid mission double the known population, including the two most distant quasars ever found Maunakea, Hawaiʻi – Astronomers using the W. M. Keck Observatory on Maunakea, Hawaiʻi Island, have confirmed two-thirds (21 of 31) of the most ancient quasars from the Euclid mission, including two of the most distant ever observed.…
Keck Observatory Welcomes 2026 Akamai Interns Advancing Engineering and Innovation
Kamaʻāina students contribute to cutting-edge observatory systems through hands-on summer projects This summer, the W. M. Keck Observatory is proud to welcome two outstanding students, Edinn Kitagawa and Elizabeth Young, as participants in the renowned Akamai Workforce Initiative. Through hands-on engineering projects embedded within active observatory systems, both interns are contributing to real-world solutions that support Keck’s scientific mission…
Astronomers Discover Third Galaxy Without Dark Matter
Findings strengthen evidence for a violent galactic collision that may have separated ordinary matter from dark matter Maunakea, Hawaiʻi – Astronomers using W. M. Keck Observatory on Maunakea, Hawaiʻi Island, have discovered the third known galaxy apparently lacking dark matter, part of a strange linear structure that may have formed during a violent collision between…
Building Hawaiʻi’s STEM Future: Meet the First Kamaʻāina Pathways Intern
Keck Observatory is actively seeking matching support to expand the Kamaʻāina Pathways Internship Program, creating more opportunities for Hawaiʻi students to gain hands-on experience and pursue careers in STEM. If you are interested in supporting, please contact Joan Campbell jcampbell@keck.hawaii.edu) or donate online. Building a strong, Hawaiʻi-grounded STEM workforce begins with creating meaningful opportunities for local students to learn,…
Keck Observer and Astrophysicist Alex Filippenko awarded Gruber Cosmology Prize for work on supernovae
Photo courtesy of Christopher Prentiss Michel Observer Alex Filippenko, UC Berkeley’s expert on supernovae and black holes, has been named co-recipient of the 2026 Gruber Cosmology Prize. Filippenko shares this honor with Ken’ichi Nomoto of the University of Tokyo and fellow Keck observer Stanford E. Woosley of UC Santa Cruz. Keck Observatory has played a leading…
HPR – Keck Observatory on Maunakea helps uncover the origin of Uranus’ rings
Hawaiʻi Public Radio | By Maddie Bender Published May 13, 2026 at 3:31 PM HST The rings of the planet Uranus have long baffled scientists because of how different they are. Take two of the rings, named mu and nu: mu is an icy blue, while its sister ring is red and rocky.
Astronomers Determine Brown Dwarf Age Using Tiny Stellar Pulsations
Results Test Brown Dwarf Theory challenging astrophysicists Maunakea, Hawaiʻi – Astronomers using W. M. Keck Observatory on Maunakea, Hawaiʻi Island, have measured one of the most precise ages yet for a Sun-like star hosting a brown dwarf companion. The result offers a powerful new test of how brown dwarfs cool and evolve over time, helping…
New Study Uncovers Distinct Origins of Uranus’s Two Outer Rings
Researchers construct first complete spectrum of μ and ν rings, revealing composition and formation history Maunakea, Hawaiʻi – Astronomers using the W. M. Keck Observatory on Maunakea, Hawaiʻi Island are revealing new insight into the composition and origins of Uranus’s two outer rings. Using data from the Keck Observatory Archive (KOA), combined with observations taken…
A New Spin on Planet Formation
The largest survey of exoplanet spins confirms long-predicted relationship between planetary mass and rotation Maunakea, Hawaiʻi – Astronomers using the W. M. Keck Observatory on Maunakea, Hawaiʻi Island, have confirmed a long-predicted relationship between planetary mass and rotation. By measuring the rotation rates of a large sample of directly imaged extrasolar planets and more massive…