Magnitude 6.6 earthquake on Big Island.
Sounds like Kona and Waikiki got the brunt of it.
Anyone heard if there is damage on the mountain?
All the telescopes ok? The Keck mountain web site seems to be down.
UPDATE: sounds like minor telescope drive/mount damage at Keck 2
- see Brad Holden's comment.
No injuries, Keck 1 looks ok, Keck 2 is down for a few days at least (and there is the issue of flights in and out of the island...).
No word on UK or Japanese observatories, or CFHT. Am figuring they're in similar shape to Keck.
Hope they had earthquake restraints on their mounts.
CHFT web site seems to be down; Subaru says telescope is under investigation
West coast web sites have no updates I can find. UKIRT web site is up but has no news.
Nothing on Gemini web site about Gemini North.
UPDATE: Promoted from Brad'd comments
The latest update.
CFHT has a message up on the web. They say that they maybe out of action for a while. Gemini has some good sounding news.
Keck will not be taking any science data tonight and likely not tomorrow. Keck I looks easier to fix than Keck II, so they are focusing on that telescope. A number of the same components were broken in both telescopes. They will be remaking these (the shop sounds busy!) all at once. The main bearing seems to work for Keck I and the domes look ok though they have not tried to open them. The instruments still seem in good shape, though OSIRIS warmed up. Most of the AO setup is fine, and the interferometer is ok as well.
Currently the weather is terrible, so no one is losing any science time. The heavy rains are to blame in some of the landslides.
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No injuries that I know of.
Beyond that, strangely, all of my info is rather california-centric.
The major systems for both Kecks are ok, though Keck II has suffered some minor damage that will take it out of commission for the next few days. Motor housings are damaged and the encoders are out of whack. All of the instruments appear ok. Keck HQ has no serious damage, but a lot of glass came down (the lobby has big glass walls) and some light fixtures are broken. This is all via an email from the director, btw.
The director of Palomar says that the CSO is ok, and that the Hilo HQ is ok, but was otherwise rather terse. He is in Waimea, which may explain some of the terseness.
What freaks me out is that the Kona hospital is damaged. The whole island is an earthquake zone. Losing a hospital is, um, not good. Fortunately the one is Waimea is ok, but that is a long ambulance ride from the likes of Captain Cooke.
We lost two San Fernando Hospitals in 1971:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1971_Sylmar_earthquake
I vividly remember the photos of the wheelchair hanging off the side of the building...
The latest update.
CFHT has a message up on the web. They say that they maybe out of action for a while. Gemini has some good sounding news.
Keck will not be taking any science data tonight and likely not tomorrow. Keck I looks easier to fix than Keck II, so they are focusing on that telescope. A number of the same components were broken in both telescopes. They will be remaking these (the shop sounds busy!) all at once. The main bearing seems to work for Keck I and the domes look ok though they have not tried to open them. The instruments still seem in good shape, though OSIRIS warmed up. Most of the AO setup is fine, and the interferometer is ok as well.
Currently the weather is terrible, so no one is losing any science time. The heavy rains are to blame in some of the landslides.