Since the start of science operations in 1993, the twin 10-meter W. M. Keck Observatory (WMKO) telescopes have continued to maximize their scientific impact and to produce transformative discoveries that keep the observing community on the frontiers of astronomical research. Upgraded capabilities and new instrumentation are provided though collaborative partnerships with Caltech, the University of California, and the University of Hawaii instrument development teams, as well as industry and other organizations. This paper summarizes the performance of recently commissioned infrastructure projects, technology upgrades, and new additions to the suite of observatory instrumentation. We also provide a status of projects currently in design or development phases and, since we keep our eye on the future, summarize projects in exploratory phases that originate from our 2022 strategic plan developed in collaboration with our science community to adapt and respond to evolving science needs.
With the release in August 2021 of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change sixth assessment report1 , the crisis of climate change is irrefutable and the critical need for action to address it has gained broad support throughout the global community. As stewards of the W. M. Keck Observatory on Maunakea and considering our place in our island community and the global community, it is important that we lay the groundwork for examining sustainability measures, attainable goals and viable paths to meet those goals. This paper presents a methodology for viewing and measuring one aspect of the sustainability challenge which can inform the development of a sustainability strategy for WMKO. One of the most notable challenges facing the global community is realizing a significant reduction in greenhouse gases which are contributing to accelerating climate change and increasing probability of extreme weather events. We present an understanding of the key contributors to WMKO’s carbon footprint, initial estimates of what that footprint was for 2019 and some opportunities and next steps towards developing and executing on a plan to reduce it over the coming decade.
With the much anticipated delivery of the Lockheed Martin Coherent Technology Quasi-CW laser, the W. M. Keck
Observatory was able to complete the installation and integration of the Laser Guide Star Adaptive Optics System on the
Keck I telescope. The Keck I LGSAO system was developed to provide redundancy for the Keck II system as well as
balancing the instrumentation load between the two telescopes and interferometers. With the improved sodium coupling
efficiency of the laser and a center launching system, the Keck I laser performance is expected to exceed those on the
Keck II system.
We present the challenges of integrating the Keck I Laser Guide Star Adaptive Optics System on an operational
telescope. We will present issues and performance data related to the primary subsystem components such as the laser
itself, the Selex Galileo Avionica launch telescope, the Mitsubishi fiber transport, and the Adaptive Optics System. The
paper will also focus on the integration and testing performed at the W. M. Keck headquarters as well as the summit of
Mauna Kea. We will present initial first light performance of the Keck I LGSAO System and compare those to the
existing Keck II LGSAO System.
The W.M. Keck Observatory is conducting a focused effort to identify and mitigate facility vibrations that significantly affect optimal optical performance. This effort should improve the performance of both Keck adaptive optics systems, the laser guide star, the AO instruments, and the interferometer, and will benefit future high precision instruments.
We present our strategy for mitigating vibrations in a large ground-based telescope. Our approach is to establish reasonable confidence in identifying the facility vibration sources that most significantly deteriorate optical performance. For the interferometer we completed vibration surveys that correlate vibrations on the interferometer beam path with direct vibration measurements on the telescope structure and facility. We developed a metric to evaluate the effect of vibrations on the entire interferometer beamline. From our surveys, we prioritized facility components to be addressed, and developed approaches to mitigate key vibrations contributions. Initial results show large local improvements, and global improvements to our vibration environment.
KEYWORDS: Telescopes, Image segmentation, Mirrors, Control systems, Domes, Simulation of CCA and DLA aggregates, Image quality, Cameras, Computing systems, Camera shutters
The HET is unique among 9-meter class telescopes in featuring an Arecibo-like design with a focal surface tracker. The focal surface tracker causes image quality and pointing/tracking performance to interact in a complex way that has no precedent in astronomical telescope system design and that has presented unusual demands upon commissioning. The fixed-elevation, segmented primary-mirror array offers some simplifications over traditional telescope design in principle, but has presented challenges in practice. The sky access characteristics of the HET also place unique demands on observational planning and discipline. The HET is distinguished by uniquely low construction and operating costs which affected commissioning. In this contribution, we describe those aspects of our commissioning experience that may impact how similar telescopes are designed, especially those with larger aperture, and review the challenges and lessons learned from commissioning a 9-meter class telescope with a small technical team.
The Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET) is an innovative, low cost 9- meter class telescope that specializes in queue mode spectroscopy. To observe astronomical targets, the HET uses a unique focal tracker system that employs complex robotic mechanisms to accurately point and track. In this contribution, we describe the electro-mechanical subsystems that have been designed and installed to monitor and diagnose this unique telescope's operations modes. These subsystems are designed to maximize the fraction of night-time hours that are devoted to science operations, optimizing the telescope's scientific output by quickly detecting problems and minimizing engineering overhead.
KEYWORDS: Telescopes, Mirrors, Fluctuations and noise, Control systems, Cameras, Temperature metrology, Domes, Camera shutters, Electronics, Observatories
The Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET) is an innovative, low cost 9- meter telescope that specializes in queue mode spectroscopic observing. Because of the HET's unique design, careful day- time and night-time thermal conditioning of the interior dome environment is essential to optimizing the telescope's performance on the sky during astronomical research operations. In this contribution, we describe the past and present thermal conditioning techniques that have been developed and employed at HET to optimize the telescope's scientific performance.
The Hobby-Eberly telescope (HET) is an innovative, low cost 9- meter class telescope that specializes in visible and near- infrared, queue observing mode spectroscopy. The operations costs for this telescope follow the capital cost model, being approximately 15 - 20% that of other 9-meter telescopes. In this contribution we describe the HET operations model and our early operations and scientific experience with this telescope, emphasizing those aspects that most directly impact the scientific productivity of the HET and describing the actions we have taken to optimize the telescope's scientific return.
Access to the requested content is limited to institutions that have purchased or subscribe to SPIE eBooks.
You are receiving this notice because your organization may not have SPIE eBooks access.*
*Shibboleth/Open Athens users─please
sign in
to access your institution's subscriptions.
To obtain this item, you may purchase the complete book in print or electronic format on
SPIE.org.
INSTITUTIONAL Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.
PERSONAL Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.