#W. M. Keck Observatory
Keck Observatory helps unravel mystery behind rare cosmic X-ray bursts
An international team of astrophysicists using W. M. Keck Observatory on Maunakea, Hawaiʻi Island have uncovered a possible origin of fast X-ray transients (FXTs) — mysterious, fleeting bursts of X-rays that have long puzzled astronomers.
UH astronomers discover biggest explosion since the Big Bang
A team at the University of Hawaiʻi’s Institute for Astronomy has uncovered a dazzling new kind of cosmic explosion, more energetic than anything seen before.
Keck Observatory helps identify possible triple system in Kuiper Belt
A team of researchers using data from W. M. Keck Observatory on Maunakea, Hawaiʻi Island, and NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has likely discovered a stable trio of icy space rocks in the solar system’s Kuiper Belt. If confirmed, the 148780 Altjira system would be the second known three-body system in the region, suggesting similar triples may exist and supporting a theory about the solar system’s history and early formation of Kuiper Belt objects.
Mauna Kea’s Keck Observatory plays key role in mapping one of five supernovae ever seen from Earth
A Caltech-led team using W. M. Keck Observatory on Mauna Kea, Hawaiʻi Island has mapped in 3-D the remains of a historical supernova that went boom in the year 1181 – it’s one of only five confirmed supernovae in our Milky Way galaxy ever seen from Earth and recorded in human history.
Caltech-led astronomers using W.M. Keck Observatory report spotting biggest pair of black hole jets ever seen
Black hole jets spanning 23 million light-years total length in outer space have been discovered by a Caltech-led team of astronomers using the W. M. Keck Observatory atop Maunakea on Hawaiʻi Island. The jets of hot plasma are the largest ever observed, according to the scientists.
Rare ‘star’ predicted to blaze brightly in night sky will be visible to naked eye
The additional jewel in the Northern Crown constellation isn’t actually a star. It’s the light from an astronomical thermonuclear explosion caused by the buildup of pressure and heat in the binary system T Coronae Borealis, also dubbed the “Blaze Star,” 3,000 light-years away from Earth.
Astronomers hope newly discovered exoplanet will help shed light on how life appeared on Earth
An international team of scientists, with the help of three observatories atop Maunakea on the Big Island, discovered the relatively close exoplanet dubbed Gliese 12 b in our galactic neighborhood.
Researchers work to unlock secrets of supernovae, exploding stars
Using multiple telescopes, researchers from the Weizmann Institute of Science are working to understand supernovae, exploding stars, dating back millions of light-years and considered the building blocks of the universe and life itself.
Maunakea telescopes help detect ancient star system, Ursa Major III/UNIONS 1
An ancient star system has been detected with the help of two Maunakea observatories on Hawaiʻi Island – W. M. Keck Observatory and Canada-France-Hawaiʻi Telescope – and the University of Hawaiʻi Institute for Astronomy’s Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System on Haleakalā, according to a Keck Observatory announcement.
Rare, Quadruply Lensed Supernova discovered using data from observatory on Hawaiʻi Island
Astronomers have discovered a supernova whose light was so warped by the gravity of a galaxy that it appears as four images in the sky.
Rotation Measurement of HR 8799 Planets Give New Spin on Planet Formation Mystery
Astronomers have captured the first-ever spin measurements of HR 8799, the famed system that made history as the very first exoplanetary system to have its image taken.
Two Astronomers from W. M. Keck Observatory to Receive 2020 AAAS Newcomb Cleveland Prize
The American Association for the Advancement of Science announced that this year’s winning research paper published in the journal “Science” is co-authored by two astronomers from W. M. Keck Observatory, Chief Scientist John O’Meara and professor J. Xavier Prochaska of UC Santa Cruz. The authors of the research paper titled “A single fast radio burst localized to a massive galaxy at cosmological distance” will receive the 2020 AAAS Newcomb Cleveland Prize on Feb. 10 at a virtual ceremony.
