A two-telescope astronomical observatory near the summit of Mauna Kea, Hawaii, whose adaptive-optics imaging of stars orbiting Sagittarius A* over more than 25 years, led by astronomer Andrea Ghez, proved the existence of the Milky Way's central supermassive black hole and shared the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics.
Facts
Observatory TypeGround-based optical observatory 1 LocationMauna Kea, Hawaii, United States 1 MeasuresMeasures visible and near-infrared light using cameras and spectrometers. 1 Operating PrincipleTwin 10-meter telescopes each use a segmented primary mirror of 36 hexagonal segments, computer-controlled to work together as one precise optical surface. 1 Cross-Tradition Connections
Sources
1. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationW. M. Keck Observatory, lead paragraph sectionQuote, W. M. Keck Observatory, lead paragraph section
they were the largest optical reflecting telescopes in the world
1. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationW. M. Keck Observatory, Overview sectionQuote, W. M. Keck Observatory, Overview section
First light occurred on November 24, 1990
1. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationW. M. Keck Observatory, infoboxQuote, W. M. Keck Observatory, infobox
Keck telescope
1. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationW. M. Keck Observatory, Overview section (spectrum)Quote, W. M. Keck Observatory, Overview section (spectrum)
The telescopes are equipped with a suite of cameras and spectrometers that allow observations across much of the visible and near-infrared spectrum.
1. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationW. M. Keck Observatory, Overview section (mirror)Quote, W. M. Keck Observatory, Overview section (mirror)
In the Keck telescopes, each primary mirror is made of 36 hexagonal segments that work together as a unit.
W. M. Keck Observatory - Andrea Ghez Nobel Prize Announcement
W. M. Keck Observatory, W. M. Keck ObservatoryNobel Prize announcement paragraphQuote, Nobel Prize announcement paragraph
Andrea Ghez, UCLA's Lauren B. Leichtman and Arthur E. Levine Professor of Astrophysics and director of the UCLA Galactic Center Group, has won the Nobel Prize in Physics 2020 for her revolutionary research using Keck Observatory to prove the existence of a supermassive black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy.
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