Joint Astronomy Centre

If you are interesting in continuing to follow the JCMT under the newly formed East Asian Observatory please click the like button on their new face book page! Aloha

William Montgomerie, an operator at the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope, has just released this beautiful night sky time-lapse montage featuring the Telescope. It is a tribute to the achievements of an era under the Joint Astronomy Centre, and marks a beginning for the JCMT's continued operations under the newly founded East Asian Observatory.

Starlapse: The James Clerk Maxwell Telescope A montage of time-lapsed scenery revolving around the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope.

After the final night of observing on 1/25/15, EO Operator Cam Wipper ran our final "Extended Observing" remote session from Hilo. A small group of JAC staff gathered for the completion and acceptance of the final STFC funded observation.

photo credit: William Montgomerie

The final night of observing at the JCMT under the direction of the Joint Astronomy Centre took place on January 25th, 2015.

Observers Charlottie Clarke, Steven Duivenvoorden, and Ridwan Barbhuiyan were at the telescope, led by Jim Hoge, Telescope System Specialist. Will Montgomerie (TSS) was present to help document the final night, and took this photo of the four of them.

JCMT is scheduled to reopen for observing in March, under the direction of a new organization called East Asian Observatory.

We are pleased to announce publication of the latest edition of the JCMT Newsletter:

http://www.jach.hawaii.edu/JCMT/publications/newsletter/n36/jcmt-n36.pdf

This edition marks the last under current (STFC) operating arrangements. It includes Personal Retrospectives by notable friends of JCMT (Richard Hills, Ian Robson, Walter Gear, Antonio Chrysostomou), a farewell 'From the desk of the Director', by Gary Davis, as well as a view of the future by EAO Director, Paul Ho.

Another cold morning - this morning's view from the JCMT up towards Gemini and UKIRT.

Hope you are having a good start to 2015. In terms of data collecting the start of this year has been quite a challenge weather wise!

Can you help with our archiving? We are looking for the name of the person in the centre of the following photo. This photo is from the groundbreaking ceremony for the JCMT, Terry Lee (first Director of UKIRT) is on the left and John Jefferies (Director of UH IfA at the time) is on the right. Please feel free to share. Mahalo!

Photos of snow on Maunakea usually get people excited. To learn more about The History of Snow and Ice on the Summits of Hawai`i I recommend attending the talk by Norbert Schorghofer. The talk will be held on Thursday, November 20th, 7-8pm at UH Hilo Sciences and Technology Building (STB) room 108.

If you are in Waimea on the 19th of November check out this free event by the International Lunar Observatory Association, 4.30-6.30pm!

Gravity - fundamental to our understanding of the Universe. I think Sir Isaac Newton would have loved to see this demonstration by Brian Cox's: http://laughingsquid.com/a-feather-and-a-bowling-ball-dropped-together-inside-the-worlds-largest-vacuum-chamber/

A Feather and a Bowling Ball Dropped Together Inside the World’s Largest Vacuum Chamber Physicist Brian Cox of the BBC Two program Human Universe recently visited NASA’s Space Power Facility outside of Sandusky, Ohio, the world’s largest vacuum chamber, to demonstrate the effects of a...

Today the JAC organisation says aloha to UKIRT as the telescope is transferred to the University of Hawai’i. After 35 years of world-class infrared astronomy on Maunakea it is good to see that UKIRT's immediate future is more certain. Old instruments have been brought back online and the science being undertaken under the new partnership looks exciting. For more information see: http://www.jach.hawaii.edu/about/news/UKIRT_transfer.html (photos courtesy of Tom Kerr and ROE)