New observatory instrument sets its sights on Turtle Nebula

A new instrument for studying a web of filaments that connects galaxies across the universe has captured its first image, a milestone known in astronomy as "first light." The Keck Cosmic Reionization Mapper (KCRM) at the W.M. Keck Observatory atop Maunakea summit in Hawaiʻi, will provide detailed maps of gas around dying stars and other cosmic objects, and it will map the so-called cosmic web that links and feeds galaxies. The instrument was recently installed next to its partner, the Keck Cosmic Web Imager (KCWI), which began operations in 2017.