News
Science News
Unraveling a Spiral Stream of Dusty Embers from a Massive Binary Stellar Forge
Maunakea, Hawaii – Astronomers using three Maunakea Observatories have discovered one of the most prolific dust-making Wolf-Rayet star systems known, remarkably producing an entire Earth mass of dust every year. With nearly two decades of images from the world’s largest observatories – including W. M. Keck Observatory, Subaru Telescope, and Gemini Observatory in Hawaii – […]
Read More >
Rare Encounters Between Cosmic Heavyweights
Maunakea Observatories Discover Three Pairs of Merging Supermassive Black Holes Maunakea, Hawaii – A cosmic dance between two merging galaxies, each one containing a supermassive black hole that’s rapidly feeding on so much material it creates a phenomenon known as a quasar, is a rare find. Astronomers have discovered several pairs of such merging galaxies, […]
Read More >
100 Cool Worlds Found Near The Sun
Citizen Scientists Help Locate Some Of The Coolest Brown Dwarfs Ever Discovered Maunakea, Hawaii – How complete is our census of the Sun’s closest neighbors? Astronomers and a team of data-sleuthing volunteers participating in Backyard Worlds: Planet 9, a citizen science project, have discovered roughly 100 cool worlds near the Sun — objects more massive […]
Read More >
Calcium-Rich Supernova Examined With X-Rays For First Time
Unprecedented Observations Shine Light On A Compact Star’s Final Moments Maunakea, Hawaii – Most of the calcium in the universe, including the very calcium in our teeth and bones, was created in the last gasp of dying stars. Called “calcium-rich supernovae,” these stellar explosions are so rare that astrophysicists have struggled to find and subsequently […]
Read More >
Surprisingly Young Galaxy Breaks Low-Oxygen Record
Rare, Extremely Metal-Poor Nearby Galaxy Discovered With Machine Learning Maunakea, Hawaii – Astronomers using two Maunakea Observatories – Subaru Telescope and W. M. Keck Observatory – combined with the power of machine learning, have discovered a nearby galaxy that has broken the record for having the lowest level of oxygen ever seen. The researchers measured […]
Read More >
Maunakea Observatories’ Quick Reflexes Capture Fleeting Flash
The International Gemini Observatory and W. M. Keck Observatory Catch Short Gamma-Ray Burst Within Hours Maunakea, Hawai‘i – Astronomers have discovered the second-most distant confirmed short gamma-ray burst (SGRB) ever studied using two Maunakea Observatories in Hawaiʻi – W. M. Keck Observatory and the international Gemini Observatory, a Program of NSF’s NOIRLab. Observations confirm the […]
Read More >
Monster Black Hole Found in the Early Universe
The Second-most Distant Quasar Ever Discovered Now Has a Hawaiian Name Maunakea, Hawai‘i – Astronomers have discovered the second-most distant quasar ever found using three Maunakea Observatories in Hawai‘i: W. M. Keck Observatory, the international Gemini Observatory, a Program of NSF’s NOIRLab, and the University of Hawai‘i-owned United Kingdom Infrared Telescope (UKIRT). It is the […]
Read More >
Zooming in on the Origins of Fast Radio Bursts
Maunakea, Hawaii – Astronomers have peered into the home galaxies of fast radio bursts, ruling out supermassive black holes as a cause and bringing us a step closer to understanding the origins of these mysterious signals from outer space. Fast radio bursts – the hottest topic in astronomy right now – were first detected in […]
Read More >
Astronomers Find Cosmic Golden Needle Buried for Two Decades; Discovery Sheds New Light on Famous Einstein Ring
Social Distance Science Made Possible with Public W. M. Keck Observatory and NASA Archive Data Maunakea, Hawaii – Determined to find a needle in a cosmic haystack, a pair of astronomers time traveled through archives of old data from W. M. Keck Observatory on Maunakea in Hawaii and old X-ray data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray […]
Read More >
The ‘Cow’ Mystery Strikes Back: Two More Rare, Explosive Events Captured
Discoveries Reveal New Class of Fast Blue Optical Transient Events Maunakea, Hawaii – The ‘Cow’ is not alone; with the help of W. M. Keck Observatory on Maunakea in Hawaii, astronomers have discovered two more like it – the ‘Koala’ and a similar mysterious bright object called CSS161010. This trio of fast blue optical transients […]
Read More >
