View Slideshow View Video Image courtesy of the W. M. Keck Observatory Photograph by Laurie Hatch
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W.M. Keck Observatory An Exhibit at the Keck Center of The National Academies Washington DC
A video installation and scale model of the Keck Telescope is exhibited at the Keck Center of The National Academies in Washington, DC. The video focuses on the Keck Telescope and the significant work accomplished there. The installation was produced to acknowledge the contributions of the W. M. Keck Foundation including its support for the National Academies' Keck Futures Initiative.
The scale model replica allows the viewer to look into one of the two telescopes and to see some of their special features, principal among which is an optical system with multi-segmented mirrors that can be actively adjusted to function like a single large mirror and a secondary mirror that can be adaptively reconfigured to minimize the distortions caused by atmospheric turbulence.The video, which contains original high definition footage shot specifically for this project, shows the telescope in action while introducing the viewer to an overview of the research work being done there, such as observations of the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy by Academy Member Andrea Ghez. The cinematography highlights the magnificent environment surrounding the observatory high on the summit of Mauna Kea, a volcanic mountain on the big island of Hawaii.
The W.M. Keck Foundation was established in 1954 in Los Angeles by William Myron Keck, founder of The Superior Oil Company and is now one of the nation's largest philanthropic organizations. In recent years, the Foundation has focused on science and engineering research; medical research; undergraduate education; and Southern California, investing in people and programs that are making a difference in the quality of life, now and for the future. The W. M. Keck Foundation has supported pioneering discoveries in science, engineering and medical research for more than half a century. Among the foundation’s landmark grants are awards totaling $144 million to the California Institute of Technology to support the building of the world's largest optical telescope, the W.M. Keck Telescope and Observatory, on Mauna Kea in Hawaii.
Both the scale model and video were produced by Moey, Inc., a company that specializes in interactive museum displays that communicate topics in science and technology
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