Sunset seen through the trees of a resort at Waikoloa, Hawai’i
A kiawe tree hangs over a rock Kohala coastline
The ideal Hawaiian beach represented by Mauna Kea beach on the Kohala Coast.
Looking down into Pololu Valley from the trail
Waipio Valley and beach as seen from the overlook
Road or stream, or both? Waipio Valley
Fording a stream in Waipio Valley
Steer roping at the annual 4th of July, Parker Ranch Rodeo
Steer roping at the annual 4th of July, Parker Ranch Rodeo
Attempting to rope a steer at the 4th of July Parker Ranch Rodeo
A quick briefing on the events before the start of the 2016 4th of July Parker Ranch Rodeo
Releasing the steer and getting the rope before heading for the barrel in the ribbon mugging event
Paniolos head for the steers in the opening moments of the team mugging event
Attempting to cut out and rope a steer in the team mugging event
The original Kamehameha status in Kapa’au
Moʻokini Heiau
A Hawaiian double hulled canoe awaiting a crew below Pu’ukohala Heiau
An ʻōhiʻa (Metrosideros polymorpha) blossoms on a lava flow in the Humu’ula Saddle
Upright stones of the navigational heiau north of Mahukona
Pu‘ukoholā Heiau as seen from the makai side
An ancient ahu (shrine) at 11,000ft on Mauna Kea
A wiliwili tree against the setting sun near Waikoloa
A water liliy in the garden at the Queen’s Shops marketplace
A gold dust day gecko (Phelsuma laticauda) on a plumeria blossom
A gold dust day gecko (Phelsuma laticauda) hiding in the center of a banana bunch
A Gold Dust Day Gecko (Phelsuma laticauda) in the banana patch
Plumeria (Plumeria rubra) blooming off the front lanai
An ancient ʻōhiʻa tree (Metrosideros polymorpha) looms in the fog at Hakalau
A skeletal māmane tree (Sophora chrysophylla) in the saddle region of Mauna Kea
A waterfall on Honoli’i Stream and one of the old coast highway bridges
One of the many waterfalls that flow down the Hamakua Coast
One of the many streams of the Hamakua Coast
A littoral cone formed at the end of a lava flow near Kalapana glows red under the stars, the planet Jupiter shines above the glowing plume
Pahoehoe lava breaks out to flow forward and form another pillow at Kalapana
Lava moves forward in the flow field at Kalapana
Cooling pahoehoe lava glows red at Kalapana
The lava lake at Halemaʻumaʻu with several fountains of lava along the far rim, May 2, 2015.
A green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) rests on a beach at Anaehoomalu Bay
Setting up to dive at Malae Point
Thomas heads down the reef at the start of the dive
Spinner Dolphins (Stenella longirostris) pass by along the Kohala coast
A group of divers descends to the reef below
He’e or Hawaiian Day Octopus (Octopus cyanea) in the shallows at Puako
Kirk and Deb explore the reef at Mahukona
Pete having some fun underwater
Banded Coral Shrimp (Stenopus hispidus) on the reef at Puako
Hawaiian whitespotted toby (Canthigaster jactator)
An arc-eye hawkfish (Parachirrhites arcatus) perches in a coral head at Puako
Stout moray (Gymnothorax eurostus)
Yellowmargin moray (Gymnothorax flavimarginatus)
Deborah exploring wreckage from the SS Kauai at Mahukona
A group whitebar surgeonfish (Acanthurus leucopareius) of clean algae and parasites off a green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas)
Visitors enjoy telescopes under the star at the Mauna Kea VIS
The C8 set up along the old Saddle Road for Mercury Transit
Mercury transiting the Sun on May 9, 2016. Celestron C8 and Canon 6D at f/10.
The telescope setup outside the Keck 1 control room for the Transit of Venus
Transit of Venus 2012, second contact at 12:27pm
Deep Violet set up under Mauna Kea skies waiting for moonset and full darkness
The Moon taken on Feb 15, 2016.
The restored 20″ Obsession telescope set up at Hale Pohaku on the side of Mauna Kea
Students and chaperones from HPA enjoy dark skies with the 20″ obsession telescope
The solar eclipse of March 8th, 2016 taken from Spencer Beach State Park. Celestron C8 with a Canon 6D at cassegrain focus, 2000mm focal length
The 20″ Obsession telescope being set up at Kaʻohe, on the side of Mauna Kea
The 20″ Obsession telescope awaiting full dark at Kaʻohe, on the side of Mauna Kea
The globular cluster Omega Centauri, NGC5139
M22 or NGC6656 in Sagittarius, a classic globular cluster, AT6RC and Canon 60D 20x4min @ ISO2000
The Orion Nebula with and EOS-M, 40x30s exposures @ ISO12,800, AT6RC and 0.8x focal reducer
A group of local school students with the 20″ telescope
The Rosette Nebula and cluster, NGC2244, NGC2236, NGC2237 and NGC2238, photo is a stack of 19x8min @ ISO1600, Canon 20Da and TV-76mm
M6, the Butterfly Cluster, 9 x 1min Canon 60D and AT6RC
Venus and the zodiacal light have crept over the horizon… Dawn is imminent! Soon I will have to put the telescope away.
The open cluster M46 and the planetary nebula NGC2438 in Puppis, 32 x 1min exposures with the AT6RC and Canon 20Da
Makaʻiki under the stars for the first time at Hale Pōhaku on the side of Mauna Kea
Sunrise over Mauna Kea greets me on the morning commute.
The Mamalahoa Highway through mist and fog south of Waimea
Saddle Road as it approaches Mauna Kea from the west
Saddle Road seen as it was in 2007, before rebuilding
An overturned Toyota lies just off Saddle Road below Kilohana
A wrecked Toyota pickup rests over 100meters from the road on Mauna Kea
A nēnē (Branta sandvicensis) grazing on the slopes of Mauna Kea
The side parking lot at the Hale Pohaku mid-level support facilities is designated for 4WD vehicles only
A convoy of observatory vehicles heads up the summit access road
A snowplow clear the wat for the summit crews to reach work
A Keck Observatory vehicle that rolled after encountering ice on the summit road
Fresh snowfall blankets the summit of Mauna Kea
Penitentes on the summit of Mauna Kea
I am the second vehicle to make it to the summit after a fresh snowfall
A dusting of snow covers the vehicles parked in front of Keck Observatory
Fesh snowfall from the top of the Keck 2 dome
Time to dig our way into the building!
Shoveling snow in Hawai’i!
Fresh snowfall drapes the telescopes in white
Looking into the optics of the Keck 2 telescope
The Keck 1 telescope seen using a fisheye lens
The Keck 2 telescope
Cabling nightmare in the interferometer control room
The Keck 1 AO laser launch telescope mounted to the back side of the secondary
Working on the Keck 1 AO system with the optical bench covers off for access
George cleaning a Keck mirror segment in preparation for stripping and re-coating
The Keck 1 AO laser undergoing beam quality testing
Fuses, relays, and contactors in the Keck 2 telescope control system
The moon setting over the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF)
An antenna of the Very Long Baseline Array greets the rising sun atop Mauna Kea
The true summit of Mauna Kea
Sunset over the Keck telescopes
Sunset lights the fog golden over the antennas of the SMA
The Subaru Telescope in the sunset
The Canada-France-Hawai’i Telescope greets the dawn
The Gemini telescope prepares for the night, opening the cooling shutters at sunset, in the background is the CFHT telescope
The Gemini North 8m telescope atop Mauna Kea
Gemini looms through the fog atop Mauna Kea
The KALI infrared detector in the Keck interferometer
A Keck mirror segment stripped and awaiting a fresh aluminum coating
The Keck 2 telescope with a 10m primary mirror array
The NASA Infrared Telescope facility (IRTF)
Sunset over the Keck 1 and Subaru telescopes
UKIRT open and observing under the light of a full Moon
Gemini and the UH88 under moonlight
The domes of Keck Observatory seen under the light of a full Moon
The CalTech Submillimeter Observatory under the stars
The Keck 2 laser acquires the first target of the night with the glow of sunset behind
The Keck 1 AO laser undergoing engineering testing
Cyndi at her post, a keck operator’s station
The Keck 2 telescope open and observing under moonlight
Three lasers in operation, Subaru, Keck 1 and Keck 2, 23 x 4min with a Canon 60D
The shadow of Mauna Kea appears through the mist and haze at sunset
A pair of visitors watching the dawn from the summit of Mauna Kea
The Keck 1 laser attempting a target in a cloudy sky
Dual Keck lasers on the galactic center
Both Keck lasers aimed at the center of the Milky Way galaxy
The twin domes of Keck Observatory lit by the first rays of dawn
The CFHT dome lit by the first rays of dawn
A group of tourists brave the cold wind to watch sunrise atop Mauna Kea
Summit visitors watch the sunset
Hualālai and Pu’u Poliahu submerged in the shadow of Mauna Kea
Keck 2 lasing to the north in the dawn the lights of Waimea and Honolulu behind.
Andrew, I have hopes that some time in the not-so-distant future I will have the opportunity to work at the Keck Telescopes as a member of the engineering support staff in some way. But in the mean time, I appreciate the photos you post such as these. It’s gives me a glimpse of the inner workings at Keck and the environment you work in.