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Enceladus Shows Little Sodium Leaving Scientists Questioning Existence of Underground Ocean
One of Saturn’s moons, Enceladus, appears to be missing some sodium. The new observations made at the W. M. Keck Observatory suggest that the plumes of gas and ice seen exploding from the moon are not fueled by geysers erupting from a salty ocean just beneath Enceladus’ surface. The conclusion has left scientists uncertain about […]
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Exoplanet’s Tilted Orbit Challenges Theories of Planet Formation
An international team of astronomers has discovered an exoplanet whose orbit is steeply tilted from the plane of the star’s equator, a finding that contradicts theories about how planetary systems form. The new observations conducted at the W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii provide a clear, solid measurement of the planet’s distinctive tilt, determining the […]
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Keck Laser Helps Astronomers Probe the Nature of Massive Galaxies in the Early Universe
PASADENA, Calif.—Astronomers using the W. M. Keck Observatory have discovered distant galaxies as massive as the Milky Way yet ten to 1000 times more compact. The new results, announced June 9 at the 214th American Astronomical Society meeting in Pasadena, provide astronomers with surprising clues about early star and galaxy formation at a time when […]
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Berkeley Astronomers Lift Shroud on Dark Gamma Ray Bursts
PASADENA, Calif.—Astronomers using the Keck telescopes may have solved the mystery of dark gamma ray bursts—intense flashes of X-ray and gamma-ray radiation that have little to no optical signature. The observations have allowed the astronomers to peer through celestial gas and dust to reveal star formation and stellar death in the dusty corners of otherwise […]
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Mysterious Space Blob Discovered at Cosmic Dawn
Astronomers using a suite of telescopes including the W. M. Keck Observatory have discovered a giant gas object that may be one of the earliest ancestors of a forming galaxy. This object, dubbed an extended Lyman-Alpha blob and identified as Himiko, sits nearly 13 billion light years from Earth and spans 55 thousand light years, […]
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Cluster Heavyweights Caught in Cosmic Traffic Jam
Astronomers have recently identified the Universe’s most crowded cosmic free-way, where monster galaxy clusters are slamming together in one of the largest collisions ever recorded. Pinpointing such a pile-up required data from three of the world’s best telescopes, and the discovery now provides scientists with a chance to watch what happens when some of the […]
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Keck and Kepler Team up To Find Other Earths
KAMUELA, HI — For nearly a decade, Cal-Berkeley astronomer Geoff Marcy and his colleagues have been using the W. M. Keck telescopes to discover giant planets orbiting distant stars. Now, with the successful launch of NASA’s Kepler mission, they will be using Keck I’s ten-meter astronomical eye to discover distant Earths. Kepler will pick out […]
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Maunakea Lecture Series Celebrates the International Year of Astronomy 2009
Hawai‘i Island, HI – The public is invited to attend The Maunakea 2009 Lecture Series, free monthly lectures throughout 2009 hosted by ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center and W. M. Keck Observatory to introduce Hawai’i astronomy and the latest research being done by the thirteen observatories located on the summit of Maunakea. The Maunakea 2009 Lecture Series […]
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Discovery of Methane Reveals Mars Is Not a Dead Planet
WASHINGTON—A team of NASA and university scientists has achieved the first definitive detection of methane in the atmosphere of Mars. This discovery indicates the planet is either biologically or geologically active. The team found methane in the Martian atmosphere by carefully observing the planet throughout several Mars years with NASA’s Infrared Telescope Facility and the […]
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Astronomers use gamma-ray burst to probe star formation in the early universe
LONG BEACH, CA (January 6th, 2009) The brilliant afterglow of a powerful gamma-ray burst (GRB) has enabled astronomers to probe the star-forming environment of a distant galaxy, resulting in the first detection of molecular gas in a GRB host galaxy. By analyzing the spectrum of light emitted in the GRB afterglow, the researchers are gleaning […]
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