'Grandest Questions' of Astrophysics To Be Probed via Keck Telescopes

[C1ay]

Yale's astronomers will be spending a lot more time in Hawaii from now on, but don't expect them to come back with suntans and macadamia nuts. Instead, they'll be spending long nights probing far into the distant reaches of the universe, thanks to a $12 million deal that will give them access to one of the world's premier observatories.

 

In an unprecedented investment in astronomy, Yale has secured 15 nights of observing time annually for the next 10 years on the twin telescopes of Hawaii's W.M. Keck Observatory, signaling the start of an entirely new regime of astronomy research at Yale.

 

"This investment will give our astronomers, postdocs and students long-term access to two of the largest and best telescopes in the world," said Steven Girvin, deputy provost for science and technology and the Eugene Higgins Professor of Physics and Applied Physics.

 

The twin 10-meter telescopes, jointly operated by the California Institute of Technology and the University of California, ushered in a new era of astronomy when they were built in 1993 and 1996; they remain the largest optical telescopes in the world.

 

During their lifetime, the Keck telescopes have continually been used to expand our understanding of the universe, from star formation and planets around other stars, to the acceleration of the universe and the black hole at the center of our own Milky Way galaxy. The telescopes sit 14,000 feet above sea level on the summit of Hawaii's Mauna Kea mountaintop, which is largely considered one of the best observing sites in the world thanks to its perpetually clear skies, still atmospheric condition and elevation above a significant amount of the earth's atmosphere, which distorts incoming light from the cosmos.

 

"Having access to the Keck telescopes will enable us to study some of the grandest questions in modern astrophysics," said Jeffrey Kenney, chair of the Department of Astronomy. At the top of the researchers' list will be measuring the masses of the faintest and most dark matter-dominated galaxies known to exist, exploring how galaxies evolve in nearby galaxy clusters, and studying some of the most distant and most massive galaxies in the universe.

 

Until now, Yale astronomers have relied for the bulk of their observational data on the 3.5-meter WIYN telescope on Kitt Peak in Arizona, which is owned and operated by a consortium that includes Yale, the University of Wisconsin, Indiana University, the National Optical Astronomy Observatories and SMARTS, a collection of smaller telescopes in Cerro Tololo, Chile.

 

Although faculty can propose projects and apply for time on other telescopes, such as the Hubble Space Telescope, owning a dedicated amount of time on a first-class telescope guarantees Yale faculty, postdoctoral associates and graduate students access to the caliber of equipment needed to remain at the forefront in a field where technology rules, according to Meg Urry, founding director of the Yale Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics (YCAA) and chair of the Department of Physics.

 

"Access to the Keck telescopes puts the Yale Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics on the same footing as other top astronomy and astrophysics programs in this country," said Urry. "This has been a goal as long as the YCAA has existed, since I arrived at Yale in 2001. It will help us to attract the best faculty, postdocs and students, which in turn means improving our standing and increasing our impact."

 

Urry said she is also excited about the numerous instruments the telescopes employ, such as their multitude of spectrographs, which allow for observations in both optical and infrared light.

 

"If a measurement is possible at all," she said, "it will be possible with Keck."

 

Source: Yale University