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MAUNA KEA, HI - 1999: At the W .M. Keck Observatory, which sits atop the highest peak in the Pacific - the summit of dormant volcano Mauna Kea - an engineer focuses a projected image of the moon on a screen, 1999 on the Big Island of Hawaii. The Keck telescopes, with diameters of ten meters and mirrors composed of 36 hexagonal segments, are among the most advanced in the world. Each segment can be individually adjusted by computer, making the scopes capable of seeing into deep space. The questions man has tried to answer by looking to the heavens with such powerful telescopic tools are at the very center of his search for meaning in his individual life as well as meaning in general. It is hoped that the study of the universe, or "cosmology," including how stars, galaxies, black holes, etc. are formed and how they evolve, with more and more complex telescopes driven by more and more complex computers, will answer these questions. But it seems that as each more powerful observatory comes online, yet more probing questions arise. Will we ever uncover the secret of the true nature of the universe and thus the reason for existence in general and our existence in particular? (Photo by Joe McNally/Getty Images)