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Keck telescopes
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Three large observatory domes of the Keck Observatory sit atop the reddish summit of Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii, with clouds and blue sky in the background. Keck Observatory The hexagonal-segmented 10-metre primary mirror of the Keck I telescope. A technician riding a bucket crane (right of centre) is seen cleaning the mirror.
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Keck telescopes

telescopes, Mauna Kea, Hawaii, United States
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Three large observatory domes of the Keck Observatory sit atop the reddish summit of Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii, with clouds and blue sky in the background.
Mauna Kea Observatory: Keck telescopes The Keck telescopes at Mauna Kea Observatory, Hawaii.

The Keck Observatory is an astronomical observatory located near the summit of Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano on the island of Hawaii in the United States. It features twin 10-meter (394-inch) telescopes, which together form the largest optical telescope system within the Mauna Kea science reserve.12

Funded primarily by the W.M. Keck Foundation, the first telescope (Keck I) was completed in 1992, followed by Keck II in 1996. These telescopes are operated as a consortium led by the California Institute of Technology and the University of California, with NASA participating as a full partner since 1996.1

Each Keck telescope's primary mirror is composed of 36 hexagonal segments made of a special low-thermal-expansion glass-ceramic material. These segments are precisely controlled by actuators to form a single, highly accurate reflecting surface. The Keck telescopes represent significant technological advancements in telescope design and have been instrumental in major astronomical discoveries, including the detection of exoplanets and evidence of a black hole at the center of the Milky Way Galaxy.13

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4 Britannica Sources
  1. Keck Observatory
  2. Mauna Kea Observatory
  3. telescope - Multimirror telescopes
  4. Mauna Kea

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