Keck Observatory

There are two mirror telescopes at the Keck Observatory; the equivalent diameter of the hexagonal primary mirrors is 10 meters . Each mirror is composed of 36 small hexagonal mirrors. These telescopes are among the largest in the world .

In 1985, Charitable allocated $ 70 million to fund a project and build telescopes. The foundation was founded in 1954 by William Myron Keck (1880-1964) to support scientific discoveries and new technologies. One of the first projects funded by this foundation was the Keck I. Telescope. The first telescope was completed in 1993, the second in 1996.

Telescopes are built according to the Ritchie – Chretien system ^[1] . Each of the primary mirrors is composed of 36 hexagonal segments that are combined into a single structure. Each segment weighs 0.5 tons and has a thickness of about 8 cm . All these segments are made by the German company from special glass-ceramic , which has a very low coefficient of thermal expansion . Zerodur itself, like any glass, is not able to effectively reflect light, so the segments are covered with a thin reflective layer of aluminum. Each segment is equipped with a special stable system of complex support and guidance mechanisms, as well as a system that protects mirrors from deformation . Three high-precision drives, controlled by computers, constantly position each of the segments, forming a hyperbolic surface with a focal length of 17.5 meters . During observations, a computer-controlled system of sensors and actuators adjusts the position of each segment relative to its neighbors with an accuracy of four nanometers.

In 1999, one of the first adaptive optics systems was installed at the Keck Observatory, which eliminates atmospheric distortions. The use of adaptive optics in the infrared range at a wavelength of 2 microns makes it possible to obtain images with a resolution of 0.04 seconds of arc.

In 2001, an interferometer was installed linking both telescopes together. Since the Kek I and Kek II telescopes are located at a distance of about 85 meters from each other, this allowed us to achieve a resolution equivalent to a telescope with an 85-meter mirror, that is, about 0.005 arc seconds. Telescopes are located on alt-azimuth mounts . The total mass of each telescope is approximately 300 tons ^{[2] [3]} .

Telescopes are controlled from headquarters in Waimea . Each of the two telescopes has its own control room. Most astronomers have only two nights to observe, and the line for observations can reach 1.5 years from the date of application. But sometimes, depending on the astronomers and what is the object of their observation, they can quickly get an additional opportunity to return to observations (for example, when the weather is not good enough for research).

The annual budget is $ 11 million. About 125 people work at the observatory full-time, of which about two-thirds are the local population from the Hawaiian Islands. The observatory is one of the largest employers in the city of Waimea. The observatory has eight four-wheel drive cars to get to the top, as well as its own workshop to maintain them in technically sound condition ^[4] .

The largest number of exoplanets is discovered in this observatory using a high-resolution spectrometer . Among them is the youngest, at the formation stage, exoplanet LkCa 15 b . ^{[5] [6]} The discovery of this exoplanet will help to better understand the origin and evolution of our solar system .

MOSFIRE

MOSFIRE ( Multi-Object Spectrograph For Infra-Red Exploration ) is a near- infrared spectrometer ^[7] . Belongs to the third generation of observatory tools. It was installed on February 8, 2012 with the Kek I telescope, and the first light was received on April 4, 2012. The wide-angle imaging unit for the near infrared range (from 0.97 to 2.41 microns ) is equipped with cryogenic Configurable Slit Unit (CSU) units, developed on the basis of a prototype of the James Webb Space Telescope of the Electronics and Microtechnology for the James Webb Space Telescope in less than 6 minutes without temperature fluctuations. The shutters move on each side to form up to 46 slots . When the shutters are removed, the device becomes a wide-angle imaging unit. This tool was developed by the team of the University of California at Los Angeles , the California Institute of Technology and the University of California at Santa Cruz . The main researchers are Ian Macklin (University of California, Los Angeles) and (California Institute of Technology), project manager is observatory Sean Adkins. The project was funded by the Association's Telescope System Instrumentation Program (TSIP) with financial support from the National Science Foundation and private donations from Gordon and Betty Moore ^[8] .

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  Teca telescopes

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  Night sky and laser beam used in adaptive optics system

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  Keck Observatory at sunset

• List of Observatories

• keckobservatory.org - official site of the Keck Observatory
• Behind the Scenes of the Keck Observatory
• Photoreport
• Engineering Ideas: Deep Space Observer , National Geographic
• Mauna kea observatories
• Video in the framework of the project "Around the World with 80 Telescopes" dedicated to the International Year of Astronomy