The W.M. Keck Observatory, named for the oil millionaire whose foundation posthumously granted $140 million for the construction of the giant telescopes on the summit of Hawaii’s dormant Mauna Kea volcano, has some advantages over other telescope locations. First, thousands of miles of thermally stable seas. Second, a dearth of nearby mountain ranges that might roil the atmosphere. Third and fourth, no city lights and a clear, calm, and dry atmosphere. Lucky for those of us who don’t get to paradise all that often, the web site is also excellent. From the homepage, readers might like to click on Fans. From there, informative articles and eye-popping images abound. Also, the Virtual Tour, which takes viewers on a step by step excursion around the site and into the telescopes, is not to be missed.
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