Discoveries using the telescopes on Mauna Kea

[TomK]

Jeremy - I second your recommendation. The Kama'aina Observatory Experience has been a great success. I'm hoping to get UKIRT involved as well at some point but right now we have a skeleton crew and don't have the resources to host visitors. Hopefully that will change in the next year.

I'm not sure I would mention lunch at Hale Pohaku as a highlight though.

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

assuming the EHT retains funding to do that.

In the article linked below, the author suggests EHT has near term funding and plans for long range projects which include expanding their network of telescopes:

What's next: The international collaboration, funded in part by the National Science Foundation, plans to add two more telescopes to the mix by 2020, and scientists hope to one day launch a space-based observatory as well.

More telescopes around the world could also mean that researchers can create black hole photos more quickly... That added speed could help scientists glimpse the black hole in the center of the Milky Way, named Sagittarius A*.

"If you make it quickly, then you can see changes, and that's particularly important for Sag A*, which changes on 20- or 30-minute time scales." — EHT scientist Dan Marrone told Axios
https://www.axios.com/event-horizon-tele...bf008.html

[TomK]

Three planets orbiting two stars

Cheating a bit here, but the research does involve the Hawaii-based astronomer Nader Haghighipour. This has to be a system that even the Star Trek producers never thought about (Trekies, feel free to prove me wrong!). OK, the Star Wars people thought about it...

This is a star with another star orbiting it, and also has at least three planets orbiting it, or both of the stars, as well.

http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/info/press-rel...Kepler47d/

"This discovery cements the system's title as the most interesting of the binary-star worlds, and marks the first complete and dynamically full planetary system around a binary star. A complete and dynamically full planetary system is one that cannot have any more planets — like our solar system. Circumbinary planets are those that orbit both stars of a binary star system, like Tatooine in the Star Wars films.

With its three planets orbiting two stars, Kepler-47 is the only known multi-planet circumbinary system. The orbit of the outer planet of this system falls well within the binary's habitable zone, the region where an Earth-like planet could maintain liquid water on its surface."

[TomK]

For those interested, tonight (Weds 17th April) on PBS Hawaii at 10 pm:

"BREAKTHROUGH: THE IDEAS THAT CHANGED THE WORLD
The Telescope"

https://www.pbshawaii.org/breakthrough-t...telescope/

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

tonight (Weds 17th April) on PBS Hawaii

Thanks TomK.
I think I spotted Mauna Kea in the intro... and narrated by Captain Picard!

[TomK]

Have to admit I didn't spot MK in the intro, but we'll see if they include it in the documentary. It would be a shame if they didn't. If by Picard you're referring to the bald guy in the trailer, he's actually Professor Jim Al-Khalili, a theoretical physicist in the UK. It's worth checking out documentaries he's done - he has a knack of clearly explaining the inexplicable, especially quantum mechanics.

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

MK in the intro

There were some quick edits of telescopes around the world as the program began, and I thought I saw Mauna Kea. The images are only on screen for a second or two though.

If by Picard you're referring to the bald guy

Patrick Stewart (Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Enterprise) narrates the program, but I’ll check out the docs by Jim Al-Khalili too. Thanks.

[TomK]

Thanks, HOTPE. I did a quick search, and yes, this new series is narrated by Patrick Stewart. Good choice!

Incidentally, for those who don't want to stay up late, the documentary is already available online:

https://www.thirteen.org/programs/breakt...pe-xikqww/

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

the documentary is already available online:

I watched it on my Roku, with the PBS app. I’ve noticed many PBS programs are available for streaming on Roku several hours before broadcast at their scheduled time in Hawaii.

[TomK]

OK, so just started to watch and there was a nice shot from Mauna Kea with Subaru, the twin Kecks and the IRTF with the Galactic Center as the background - 02:30 mark.

Copied it:

http://www.ukirt.hawaii.edu/~tkerr/puna/pbs-gc-shot.JPG