
Dave Wittman and I are currently at the UC Berkeley remote observation room (pictured) on the Merging Cluster Collaboration's third Keck DEIMOS observing run. The previous two runs returned about 2000 galaxy spectra of our merging cluster sample, and this run will produce about another 1000.
We are using these spectra to gain insight into the dynamical history of the mergers as well as quantify their observed configurations (using the method I developed). This is necessary information if we are to use these merging clusters to constrain the properties of dark matter.
This is the first time that we have not sent an observer to Hawaii and are using the UC Berkeley remote obs facility to control the telescope that is ~4000 km away. Honestly this is not that different than when we observe from Hawaii (I do miss the traditional pre-observing swim in the pacific though) since you are sitting in a similar remote obs room at Waimea, essentially at the base of Mauna Kea (the telescope is on the summit). The reason astronomers no longer go to the summit is that at 4200 m there is so little oxygen that it becomes hard to think clearly and altitude sickness is a possibility.
A third of the way through the night and it is shaping out to be another amazing night on Keck...
We are using these spectra to gain insight into the dynamical history of the mergers as well as quantify their observed configurations (using the method I developed). This is necessary information if we are to use these merging clusters to constrain the properties of dark matter.
This is the first time that we have not sent an observer to Hawaii and are using the UC Berkeley remote obs facility to control the telescope that is ~4000 km away. Honestly this is not that different than when we observe from Hawaii (I do miss the traditional pre-observing swim in the pacific though) since you are sitting in a similar remote obs room at Waimea, essentially at the base of Mauna Kea (the telescope is on the summit). The reason astronomers no longer go to the summit is that at 4200 m there is so little oxygen that it becomes hard to think clearly and altitude sickness is a possibility.
A third of the way through the night and it is shaping out to be another amazing night on Keck...