Discoveries using the telescopes on Mauna Kea

[Eric1600]

pahoated and airportparking either enjoy trolling or are used to being that one guy in the bar impressing people with BS.

[kalakoa]

pahoated and airportparking either enjoy trolling or are used to being that one guy in the bar

Yes: they are that one guy.

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

Not specifically Mauna Kea based, although there is a freeze frame of Laniakea, the Immense heaven as mapped by Mauna Kea astronomers. This video compares the size of various bodies in our solar system, galaxy, Laniakea, and more. It certainly provides some perspective on who we are in the universe.

When planet Earth is displayed, think about the summit of Mauna Kea in Hawaii. Then, at the end of the video, try and visualize Mauna Kea in relation to all you've just seen.

http://sploid.gizmodo.com/awesome-video-...1784783478

The moon kind of surprises me sometimes. I’ll be out at night and I’ll see a nice moon, and say, “Hey, that looks good.” Then I’ll say, “Oh sh-t, I went up there one time!” Kind of surprises me. It’s like there are two Moons, you know—the one that’s usually around, and then that one. - Michael Collins, Apollo 11 astronaut

[TomK]

First accurate measurement of the abundance of oxygen in a distant galaxy:

http://phys.org/news/2016-08-astronomers...alaxy.html

Press release from the Keck Observatory on Mauna Kea:

http://phys.org/news/2016-08-astronomers...alaxy.html

The early universe consisted of mostly hydrogen and helium with very few heavier elements. Stars formed from those light elements and as they burned up their fuel they formed heavier elements such as carbon, nitrogen and oxygen. Those heavier elements were then dispersed via stellar winds, novae and supernovae and then ultimately ended up in planets and of course, us.

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

oxygen in a distant galaxy

Wow. That's a discovery that could just about take your breath away.

The moon kind of surprises me sometimes. I’ll be out at night and I’ll see a nice moon, and say, “Hey, that looks good.” Then I’ll say, “Oh sh-t, I went up there one time!” Kind of surprises me. It’s like there are two Moons, you know—the one that’s usually around, and then that one. - Michael Collins, Apollo 11 astronaut

[TomK]

I wish I'd thought of that!

[TomK]

Io's oscillating atmosphere observed by Gemini North:

http://gemini.edu/node/12547

One of Jupiter's moons, Io, with an atmosphere created by volcanic activity, has its atmosphere "freeze" out when in eclipse. Once it's back in sunlight, the atmosphere reforms via sublimation.

[Guest]

Eh Rob,

Is above REALLY "PUNA" related ?

ETA ... Kalakoa please restate your rules are for everyone here.

[TomK]

I missed this one from a few weeks ago, it's from the CFHT. The language is a little strange but suspect it was written by a non-English speaker. The image of diffuse clouds in space is beautiful:

http://cfht.hawaii.edu/en/news/GalacticCirrus/

The term cirrus comes from about three decades ago after the first infrared survey of the sky was made by IRAS. These diffuse clouds are still a bit of a mystery and contain some molecules we still can't identify (google "diffuse interstellar bands" if you are interested) although we now know a couple of the molecules are ionized Buckminsterfullerenes (C60).

Just to be clear, the rest of the atoms and molecules in these clouds are easily identifiable, but there are spectroscopic features that have remained a mystery for several decades.

ETA: Added some clarification.

[PaulW]

Thanks for keeping us up to date with all of the great work the MK observatories are doing, despite the fact that some spammers on here apparently can't read. The variety of worlds out there are almost infinite.