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- Observing from Headquarters in Waimea
All observing on the Keck telescopes is now done from one of the approved remote facilities or from one of the remote observing rooms located in the "Kohala Wing" of the WMKO Headquarters complex in Waimea (Kamuela), HI where technical support for observers is more readily available, computing and other support facilities are more extensive, and oxygen deprivation less prevalent than on the 13,796 ft (4200 m) Mauna Kea summit. A Polycom teleconferencing link provides excellent audio and video contact between the observing team and the observing assistant (OA), who operates the telescope from the control room at the Mauna Kea summit.
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The "Visiting
Scientists' Quarters" (VSQ) maintained by WMKO consists of ten very comfortable motel-style day-sleeper units and a large, separate "commons" area containing
a self-service kitchen, dining room, entertainment area, laundry facility, and
computing room with workstations and network connections for laptops. These
are located approximately 70 meters from the Kohala Wing.
- Observing from other Remote Sites
Rather than travel to Headquarters in Hawaii, experienced Keck observers may choose to have part or all of their team observe remotely from one of several mainland or other approved remote sites which offer facilities and support for remote observing. Use of these sites may be done in either an "eavesdropping" mode, with at least one member of the observing team in Waimea at the controls, or in "mainland-only" mode, with the entire team at the remote site. All instruments are available for remote use. It is important to notify us well in advance if you intend to make use of a mainland or other remote site for your Keck run; this is required so we can ensure availability of the site. Mainland-only mode observing is available only from selected sites as indicated on the site summary web page. This page also indicates which sites permit outside observers to access the facility and which restrict access to local staff only. Please see the mainland observing policy for further details on how to request use of the mainlnad or other remomte observing facilities for you run.
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NASA observers who wish to observe from the mainland should follow the NASA mainland remote observing procedure.
- Observing from the Mauna Kea summit
We no longer support observers working at the summit. All observing will be done from the Headquarters in Waimea or from the other approved remote observing rooms (see above).
This page last updated 22 July 2019
Telescope-scheduling@keck.hawaii.edu