GUEST SPEAKER: Steven Finkelstein, Associate Professor of Astronomy, Provost’s Teaching Fellow, University of Texas at Austin VIRTUAL ASTRONOMY TALK: Just after the Big Bang, the universe was filled with a fog of cool hydrogen gas. When the first stars and galaxies began to form, energetic light from these objects heated and ionized this gas, removing […]
GUEST SPEAKER: Mansi Kasliwal, Assistant Professor, California Institute of Technology VIRTUAL ASTRONOMY TALK: Our dynamic universe is adorned by cosmic fireworks: energetic and ephemeral beacons of light that are a million (nova) to a billion (supernova) times brighter than our Sun. Fireworks synthesize most elements in our periodic table – while supernovae synthesize the lighter […]
GUEST SPEAKER: Alice Shapley, Professor and Vice Chair for Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of California, Los Angeles VIRTUAL ASTRONOMY TALK: Our Milky Way is one of countless galaxies in the universe. Understanding the formation and evolution of galaxies remains one of the great challenges of modern cosmology. Key outstanding questions include: What drives stars to […]
W. M. Keck Observatory, in partnership with Canada France Hawaii Telescope Corporation (CFHT), and University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy, present: The Annual Waimea Solar System Walk 2018 Bring your ohana to this family-friendly event for an interstellar journey, right in Waimea town! Start the walk at Keck Observatory’s Headquarters, then travel through the solar […]
GUEST SPEAKER: John O’Meara, Chief Scientist, W. M. Keck Observatory VIRTUAL ASTRONOMY TALK: You’ve seen the discoveries, but how are they made? In this presentation, we follow the process of Keck Observatory’s science, from proposal to publication. Along the way, we’ll learn how our Hawaii staff prepares the Keck I and Keck II telescopes, configures […]
GUEST SPEAKER: Marla Geha, Director, Yale Telescope Resources, Professor, Astronomy Department, Yale University VIRTUAL ASTRONOMY TALK: Dozens of small galaxies have been discovered orbiting our Milky Way galaxy over the past decade. These “ultra-faint” galaxies are less luminous than any other known galaxy, and are several million times fainter than the Milky Way itself. W. […]
W. M. Keck Observatory invites you to a virtual screening of “Beyond the Impossible.” This short film is a sequel to “The Impossible Telescope,” a documentary released last year commemorating the legacy of Jerry Nelson, known as the “Father of the Keck Observatory Telescopes,” who pioneered the 10-meter segmented design of the primary mirrors that […]
GUEST SPEAKER: Taylor Hutchison, Graduate Student, Texas A&M University VIRTUAL ASTRONOMY TALK: We understand very little about the first galaxies in the universe whose light has traveled over 12 billion years to reach our telescopes. The early universe was a much darker place, filled with neutral gas blocking starlight from traveling far from its source. […]
GUEST SPEAKER: Wen-fai Fong, Assistant Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Northwestern UniversityWhen we look at the night sky, we see a static universe. However, astronomical observational surveys have revealed that our universe is, in fact, ever-changing. This “transient” sky is owed to a myriad of cosmic events. While many sources of transient emission have […]
GUEST SPEAKER: Robert McLaren, Interim Director, University of Hawaiʻi, Institute for AstronomyVIRTUAL ASTRONOMY TALK | Astronomy on Maunakea originated in community efforts to revive the Hawaiʻi Island economy following the 1960 tsunami that devastated Hilo. It quickly acquired governmental support, especially from Governor John Burns. The University of Hawaiʻi took a leading role, commissioning the […]
GUEST SPEAKER: J. Xavier Prochaska, Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of California, Santa Cruz Astronomer, University of California Observatories VIRTUAL ASTRONOMY TALK | Join us as Professor X describes the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and its many influences on modern astronomy. These range from automating analysis of billions of galaxies to detecting the […]
GUEST SPEAKER: John O’Meara, Chief Scientist, W. M. Keck Observatory VIRTUAL ASTRONOMY TALK | Everyone knows a picture is worth a thousand words, but a spectrum is worth at least a thousand pictures. The history of spectroscopy is intricately linked with every major discovery in astronomy and astrophysics in the last 120 years. In this […]
