About this video

The HIPWAC co-investigators were born to heterodyne, and the staff of the IRTF observatory makes it a reality! At the "Hotel Mauna Kea" on the Big Island of Hawai'i, Ted, Tim, Kelly, and Ramsey observed with the HIPWAC spectrometer, whose spectral resolving power is greater than 1,000,000 (trust us, thats good!). "We want resolved spectra lines! We were born to heterodyne!"

 

Born to Heterodyne

"Born to Heterodyne" is a parody of Steppenwolf's "Born to be Wild" by Mars Bonfire.

  • Get your motor running,
  • Head up Mauna Kea!
  • Lookin' for some spectra,
  • At the IRTF!
  • Yeah HIPWAC go make it happen,
  • Take a zero and integrate,
  • Fire all of your lasers at once,
  • And explode into space.
  • George and Lars are waiting,
  • With Imai, Sammy, Maury,
  • Ready to hoist HIPWAC,
  • To the focus Cassegrain.
  • Bill's driving infrared alignment,
  • Dave moves the shutter out of the way,
  • Paul's setting planetary assignment,
  • Eric's on in the day.
  • We want resolved spectral lines!
  • We were born to heterodyne!
  • Resolution so high,
  • Let's go up on the sky!
  • Born to heterodyne!
  • Born to heterodyne!
  • Ted and Tim and Ramsey,
  • Juan and John and Kelly,
  • Dave and Tilak back home,
  • Hope for high signal-to-noise!
  • Yeah HIPWAC go make it happen,
  • Take a zero and integrate,
  • Fire all of your lasers at once,
  • And explode into space.
  • We want resolved spectral lines!
  • We were born to heterodyne!
  • Resolution so high,
  • Let's go up on the sky!
  • Born to heterodyne!
  • Born to heterodyne!