If you ever make it to the the Big Island of Hawaii you’ll notice two rather large volcanoes that cover the landscape. One in particular is pretty hard to miss since its usually belching molten lava into the air. The other lesser known volcano, Mauna Kea, is quieter indeed - but that doesn’t mean its any less exciting. On the contrary.
The summit of Mauna Kea is home to the world’s largest optical and infrared telescopes. Each stands EIGHT STORIES TALL and weighs 300 tons, yet operates with nanometer precision. At the heart of each Telescope is a revolutionary primary mirror. Ten meters in diameter, the mirror is composed of 36 hexagonal segments that work in concert as a single piece of reflective glass.
Made possible through grants totaling more than $140 million from the W. M. Keck Foundation, the Observatory is operated by the California Association for Research in Astronomy (CARA), whose Board of Directors includes representatives from the California Institute of Technology and the University of California. In 1996, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) joined as a partner in the Observatory. The Keck I telescope began science observations in May 1993; Keck II began in October 1996.
Its exciting for us a Jama to be connected to yet another great team with an incredible application - working in an incredible place. If you get a moment, you should visit www.keckobservatory.org and check out some breath taking images from the summit. Its really quite something.
As I look out my window on this dreary January day in Portland,
I can only hope that my boss puts me on a plane to go visit our newest customer in paradise. Welcome W.M. Keck!