Timeline

1985 Sep 12  Groundblessing, W.M. Keck Observatory - summit of Mauna Kea, Hawaii

1988 May 25  Groundblessing, W.M. Keck Observatory headquarters - Kamuela, Hawaii

1990 Nov 24  First light, Keck 1 Telescope - 9 segments installed

1991 Nov 07  Dedication of Keck 1 Telescope and Keck 2 groundblessing

1992 Apr 14  First light, Keck 1 Telescope - 36 segments installed

1996 Jan 23  First light, Keck 2 Telescope - 24 segments installed

1996 May 08  Dedication of Keck 2 Telescope

1996 Sep 30  Gerald Smith retires as W.M. Keck Observatory Project Manager

1996 Oct 01  Dr. Frederic H. Chaffee assumes position as first Observatory Director

1999 Feb 05  First light - Adaptive optics instrument on Keck 2 telescope

2000 Dec 13  First light - Adaptive optics instrument on Keck 1 telescope

2001 Jan 12  Interferometer - Corrected Keck 2 wavefront reaches the basement

2001 Mar 13  Interferometer - First fringes with the Keck telescopes

2001 Dec 23  First laser guide star over Mauna Kea created with the Keck 2 sodium laser

2002 Jun 03  First light DEIMOS instrument (DEep Imaging Multi-Object Spectrograph)

2003 Sep 09  First light for the AO LGS system (Adaptive Optics Laser Guide Star)

2005 Feb 22  First light OSIRIS instrument (OH-Suppressing Infra-Red Imaging Spectrograph)

2006 Jun 30  Dr. Frederic H. Chaffee retires as Observatory Director

2006 Jul 01  Dr. Taft Amandroff begins appointment as Observatory Director

2006 Oct 06  First light - NGWFC (Next Generation Wavefront Controller) - K1

2006 Dec 13 First Science - NIRSPAO-LGS

2007 Jan 27  First light - Cassegrain ADC for LRIS

2007 Feb 27  First light - NGWFC - K2

W. M. Keck Observatory Library & Archives