Among these are studies of the temperature characteristics of the atmospheres of Jupiter and Saturn, investigations of how stars and planetary systems form and evolve, and how galaxies originate. Keck II telescope, also on Mauna Kea. Because it operates in a part of the light spectrum where two-dimensional detectors were not available until just a few years ago, it is helping to fill in crucial missing pieces in our understanding of a variety of astronomical objects.
Astronomical objects emit energy over a broad spectrum.
Information about the atoms that make up stars can be obtained by observations at visible wavelengths. The infrared portion of the spectrum covers a much broader range of wavelengths. By observing an object at a variety of wavelengths, scientists can piece together a coherent picture of what the object is and how it fits into our understanding of the universe. The field of view of the camera has been optimized to take advantage of the sharp resolution provided by these large telescopes. The entire camera is controlled by two computers.