Astronomy

The next steps in the decommissioning include completing interior deconstruction and removal of the observatory dome.

The decommissioning includes removing the observatory building, generator building and telecommunications and electrical infrastructure.

This system consists of just 60 stars that are over 10 billion years old, all bound by their own gravity and maybe even dark matter, according to a press release from the W.M. Keck Observatory.

Using the All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae (ASAS-SN) system, on Feb. 22, 2023, the team detected a sudden surge in brightness followed by a rapid dimming in the galaxy NGC 3799, located about 160 million light-years from Earth.

Hōkū Keʻa is the second telescope on Maunakea in the final phase of the extensive decommissioning process required under the Mauna Kea Comprehensive Management Plan.

The 32-year-old postdoctoral researcher and astrophysicist from the Big Island is peering deep into space while helping develop next-generation technology to deliver even sharper images of the universe.

The weeklong education and outreach program is aimed at expanding science literacy and inspiring students in grades 3-12 to explore the fields of science, technology, engineering and math through classroom presentations, career panels, public events and more.

The Space Sciences Initiative is expected to expand Hawaiʻi’s technology sector and create more high-paying jobs across the state.

The annual meteor shower that happens from the end of December to the middle of January peaks tonight, with up to 120 bright fireball meteors possible streaking through the center of the sky.

The Caltech Submillimeter Observatory came online in 1987 and was used by scientists at Caltech and other institutions, including almost 200 student and postdoctoral researchers.

While solar flares can be powerful, they are insignificant compared to the thousands of “super flares” observed by NASA’s Kepler and TESS missions.

Nitrogen compounds, such as ammonium salts, are abundant in material born in regions far from the sun, but evidence of their transport to Earth’s orbital region had been poorly understood. 

Stars of various origins come together to form one galaxy. There may be stars born outside the Milky Way galaxy near our solar system.

Researchers are interested in features called strike-slip faults on these moons because they can facilitate the exchange of surface and subsurface materials, potentially creating environments conducive for life

For eight weeks during the summer, the interns received help from Subaru staff mentors to complete real-life science and technology projects in a professional setting and working on important projects that will help the telescope prepare for the future.

New results from the Keck Cosmic Web Imager, or KCWI, which was designed by Caltech’s Edward C. Stone Professor of Physics Christopher Martin and his team, are the first to show direct light emitted by the largest and most hidden portion of the cosmic web: the crisscrossing wispy filaments that stretch across the darkest corners of space between galaxies. The KCWI instrument is based at the W. M. Keck Observatory atop Maunakea on the Big Island.

The entity has been given the name Hoʻoleilana, a term drawn from the Kumulipo, a Hawaiian creation chant evoking the origin of structure.

About a quarter of all full moons are considered to be supermoons. Only 3% of full moons are blue moons, which occur about two and three years apart. It’s considerably less frequent that the two coincide.

The festival at the Big Island astronomy center featured special planetarium shows, Japanese crafts and traditional games, bon dance lessons, taiko performances, entertainment, ʻono food and more.

Scientists around the globe are working on myriad ways to reduce the effects of climate change, including István Szapudi, an astronomer at the University of Hawaiʻi Institute for Astronomy, who has devised a novel idea to lessen the amount of sunlight hitting our planet.