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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 Looking along the King’s Trail south of Waikoloa Typical coastline along the South Kohala 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 Photographing the September 2023 eruption at Kilauea The lava lake at Halemaʻumaʻu with several fountains of lava along the far rim, May 2, 2015. Erupting lava in the first hours of the September 2023 eruption of Kilauea The glow of the January 2025 eruption above Crater Rim Drive A crowd watches the September 2023 eruption at Kilauea Caldera Episode 9 of the Dec 2024 eruption of Kilauea fountains from two vents on 11 Feb 2025 Photographing and enjoying episode 4 of the Kilauea eruption on Jan 16th, 2025 A group of lava watchers gathered around my little ‘scope in the dawn Mauna Ulu as seen from the top of Puʻu Huluhulu The yawning crater at the summit of Mauna Ulu Lava trees loom in the fog Episode 9 of the Dec 2024 eruption of Kilauea floods the floor of Halemaʻumaʻu crater on the morning of 12 Feb 2025 The 2022 Mauna Loa eruption at dawn The 2022 eruption of Mauna Loa on the second day The 2022 eruption of Mauna Loa on the second day 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. A parade of large sunspots crossing the disk of the Sun on 11 Aug 2024 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 The 8″ Astrola setup in the driveway The Lagoon Nebula Region including M8, M20, M23, NGC6544, IC 4678, Bochum 14, and much more Centaurus A Omega Centauri Setup with the 18″ telescope at Kaʻohe for a night os observing Sunrise over Mauna Kea greets me on the morning commute. Pu’u Kole and Mauna Loa in the dawn 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.