Keck

Keck Observatory is a pair of astronomical observatories located on the summit of Mauna Kea, Hawaii. Operated by the California Institute of Technology and the University of California, the observatory hosts two 10-meter optical/near-infrared telescopes, Keck I and Keck II. The primary mirrors are composed of 36 hexagonal segments and work with active optics to maintain alignment and shape. Each telescope supports a wide range of instruments for imaging and spectroscopy, including LRIS, DEIMOS, NIRSPEC, and NIRC2, among others. The facility also houses an adaptive optics system, with a laser guide star facility, enabling high-resolution observations in the infrared.

Construction funding came from the W. M. Keck Foundation, and the project was developed as a cooperative venture between Caltech and UC. The observatory opened in the 1990s and quickly became one of the leading facilities for ground-based astronomy. It has contributed to discoveries across many fields, including exoplanets, galaxy formation, and the study of the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way.

The Keck Interferometer, a collaboration with NASA, sought to combine light from the two telescopes to achieve higher angular resolution; it operated in the late 2000s and was retired in the early 2010s.

Keck's ongoing upgrades and instrumentation programs continue to advance both imaging and spectroscopy in the optical and near-infrared.

Keck stands among the most scientifically productive observatories in the world and remains a cornerstone of observational astronomy.