Press Releases

Neutron Star Merger in the Early Universe

Science Release: 26 July 2022 — noirlab2218

Gemini Telescopes Help Uncover Origins of Castaway Gamma-Ray Bursts

A number of mysterious gamma-ray bursts appear as lonely flashes of intense energy far from any obvious galactic home, raising questions about their true origins and distances. Using data from some of the most powerful telescopes on Earth and in space, including the twin Gemini telescopes, astronomers may have finally found their true origins — a population of distant galaxies, some nearly 10 billion light-years away.
The two GHOST spectra

Organization Release: 20 July 2022 — noirlab2217

Gemini’s GHOST Captures Exquisite First Light Observations of a Bright, Chemically Rich Star

Gemini South, one of the world’s most productive and powerful optical-infrared telescopes, received a major capability boost with the successful installation of a new high-resolution spectrograph called GHOST constructed by an international consortium. This cutting-edge scientific instrument will expand our understanding of the earliest stars, the chemical fingerprints of distant planetary systems, and the formation and evolution of galaxies. Gemini South in Chile is one half of the International Gemini Observatory, operated by NSF’s NOIRLab.
Teen Astronomy Cafe — To-Go! icon

Organization Release: 14 July 2022 — noirlab2216

NSF’s NOIRLab Launches “Teen Astronomy Café — To Go!”

NSF's NOIRLab’s Teen Astronomy Café educational program is proud to present its newest initiative: Teen Astronomy Café — To Go! This online, free program provides complete digital education packages, aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards, suitable for informal use by students alone and by classroom educators. Using science-grade data actively engages students and encourages them to think and act like scientists. Five ‘Instant Packs’ are now available, each focusing on a different astronomy research topic.
Burned out area on South West ridge of Kitt Peak National Observatory on 18 June 2022

Organization Release: 13 July 2022 — noirlab2213

Contreras Fire Reaches Kitt Peak National Observatory

The Contreras Fire reached the Kitt Peak National Observatory during the early morning of Friday 17 June 2022. We are working with the firefighters at the site to assess the damage and will share details about the facilities as we learn more. We remain in an active fire situation with rapidly changing conditions.
Illustration of an ultracool dwarf with a companion white dwarf

Science Release: 7 July 2022 — noirlab2215

Citizen Scientist Leads Discovery of 34 Ultracool Dwarf Binaries Using Archive at NSF’s NOIRLab

How often do stars live alone? For brown dwarfs — objects that straddle the boundary between the most massive planets and the smallest stars — astronomers need to uncover more examples of their companions to find out. Ace citizen scientist Frank Kiwy has done just that by using the Astro Data Lab science platform at NSF’s NOIRLab to discover 34 new ultracool dwarf binary systems in the Sun's neighborhood, nearly doubling the number of such systems known.

Images of the Week

A Blanket of Light

3 Aug. 2022 — iotw2231

A Blanket of Light
A Crimson Nursery

27 July 2022 — iotw2230

A Crimson Nursery
Night Light

20 July 2022 — iotw2229

Night Light
Wraparound Observatory

13 July 2022 — iotw2228

Wraparound Observatory
A Bright Night over Gemini North

6 July 2022 — iotw2227

A Bright Night over Gemini North
The Colors of the Night Sky

29 June 2022 — iotw2226

The Colors of the Night Sky
When Hemispheres Connect

22 June 2022 — iotw2225

When Hemispheres Connect
A Hexagonal Galactic Center

15 June 2022 — iotw2224

A Hexagonal Galactic Center
Starry Night, Laser Light

8 June 2022 — iotw2223

Starry Night, Laser Light
Maunakea Above the Clouds

1 June 2022 — iotw2222

Maunakea Above the Clouds

Learn More

Site Maps

Globe at Night

Join Our Social Media Channels

Live from NOIRLab

Sign Up for NOIRLab News!

A Sign of the Zodiac

20 July 2022

GHOST in the machine: Gemini’s powerful spectrograph
Journey NGSS Workshop at 'Imiloa

28 June 2022

Teen Astronomy Café — To Go: A New Twist on Data in the Classroom
Striking image shows mass distribution of nearby galaxy cluster

17 May 2022

Probing dark matters in the Universe with Rubin
Rubin Observatory and Its Target

20 April 2022

How Rubin will uncover secrets of the Milky Way’s history
Vera C. Rubin Observatory and transient objects

5 April 2022

Tracking transients with Rubin

Our Programs

From the first observations in 1965, Cerro Tololo, located in Chile, has served as the principal platform for U.S. astronomical investigation of the southern skies.

Programs within the Community Science and Data Center support and enable a broad range of astronomical community science activities across the US ground-based optical and infrared system.

Founded in 1958, Kitt Peak National Observatory is home to one of the largest arrays of optical and radio telescopes in the world.

The Gemini Observatory consists of twin 8.1-meter diameter optical/infrared telescopes located on two of the best observing sites on the planet.

Vera C. Rubin Observatory, currently under construction on Cerro Pachón in Chile, is an 8-meter-class telescope coupled to a 3.2-gigapixel camera – the world’s largest digital camera ever fabricated for optical astronomy.