NOIRLab

Press Releases

Science Release: 4 Nov. 2022 — noirlab2227

Astronomers Discover Closest Black Hole to Earth

Astronomers using the International Gemini Observatory, operated by NSF’s NOIRLab, have discovered the closest-known black hole to Earth. This is the first unambiguous detection of a dormant stellar-mass black hole in the Milky Way. Its close proximity to Earth, a mere 1600 light-years away, offers an intriguing target of study to advance our understanding of the evolution of binary systems.

Science Release: 31 Oct. 2022 — noirlab2226

Largest Potentially Hazardous Asteroid Detected in Eight Years

Twilight observations with the US Department of Energy-fabricated Dark Energy Camera at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile, a Program of NSF's NOIRLab, have enabled astronomers to spot three near-Earth asteroids (NEA) hiding in the glare of the Sun. These NEAs are part of an elusive population that lurks inside the orbits of Earth and Venus. One of the asteroids is the largest object that is potentially hazardous to Earth to be discovered in the last eight years.

Science Release: 20 Oct. 2022 — noirlab2225

‘Marshmallow’ World Orbiting a Cool Red Dwarf Star

A gas giant exoplanet with the density of a marshmallow has been detected in orbit around a cool red dwarf star by a suite of instruments, including the NASA-funded NEID radial-velocity instrument on the WIYN 3.5-meter Telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory, a Program of NSF’s NOIRLab. The planet, named TOI-3757 b, is the fluffiest gas giant planet ever discovered around this type of star.

Photo Release: 14 Oct. 2022 — noirlab2224

Record-Breaking Gamma-Ray Burst Possibly Most Powerful Explosion Ever Recorded

In the early-morning hours of today, 14 October 2022, astronomers using the Gemini South telescope in Chile operated by NSF’s NOIRLab observed the unprecedented aftermath of one of the most powerful explosions ever recorded, Gamma-Ray Burst GRB221009A. This record-shattering event, which was first detected on 9 October 2022 by orbiting X-ray and gamma-ray telescopes, occurred 2.4 billion light-years from Earth and was likely triggered by a supernova explosion giving birth to a black hole.

Photo Release: 3 Oct. 2022 — noirlab2223

SOAR Telescope Catches Dimorphos’s Expanding Comet-like Tail After DART Impact

The SOAR Telescope in Chile, operated by NSF’s NOIRLab, imaged the more than 10,000 kilometers long trail of debris blasted from the surface of Dimorphos two days after the asteroid was impacted by NASA’s DART spacecraft.

Gemini North Primary Mirror Status

For updates on the status of the Gemini North primary mirror, please visit this page.

Coronavirus COVID-19 Measures at NOIRLab

We are currently not hosting public visitors at the summit or base facilities. Given the continuously evolving nature of the pandemic, we currently do not have a reopening date. When a date is available we will share it on our website and social media. The timeline may be different for each site.

Announcements

2 Dec. 2022 — ann22033

Trail left by BlueWalker 3 over Kitt Peak National Observatory

IAU, NOIRLab, and SKAO Statement on BlueWalker 3

The International Astronomical Union, NSF’s NOIRLab, and the SKA Observatory unite to express their concern about the recently launched prototype BlueWalker 3 satellite’s impact on astronomy. New measurements reveal that this low Earth orbiting satelli...

23 Nov. 2022 — rubinann22021

Rubin Digest 22 November 2022

Project & Science News

On Cerro Pachón, the Commissioning team recently took preliminary data with the Star Tracker, which was installed on the Telescope Mount Assembly (TMA) in early November. During this engineering campaign, they achieved focus...

11 Nov. 2022 — ann22032

Viaje al Universo is Back in the Classrooms

With the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions earlier this year, the Gemini/NOIRLab flagship STEM education program in Chile, Viaje al Universo, returns to classrooms 14–18 November 2022 as a hybrid event featuring three face-to-face and two virtual sessio...

9 Nov. 2022 — rubinann22020

Rubin Digest 09 November 2022

Project & Science News

In early November, the Rubin team installed an instrument called the StarTracker on the Telescope Mount Assembly (TMA). The StarTracker will be used to verify pointing requirements for the TMA on the summit, and was develope...

8 Nov. 2022 — ann22031

Community Celebrates AstroDay 2022 in Kona

NOIRLab/Gemini Welcomed Visitors to AstroDay 2022 in Kona

Together with the other Maunakea Observatories (MKOs), the International Gemini Observatory, operated by NSF's NOIRLab, celebrated AstroDay Kona with families and friends of all ages on Saturday, 5 November 2022. A free event held outdoors at the Kona ...

1 Nov. 2022 — ann22030

Gemini North Shutdown Extended Following Incident During Mirror Movement

Update 1 December 2022:

The Observatory has progressed significantly on the plan to repair the Gemini North primary mirror and return to night-time operations. More thorough inspections of the mirror have not found any additional damage, and confirm t...

26 Oct. 2022 — ann22029

Beyond Me: A Journey with Music and Sounds Through Space, Art, and Technology

Update 30 October 2022: The event has been canceled and will be rescheduled for a future date.

On 4 November 2022 ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center, with support from the International Gemini Observatory, operated by NSF's NOIRLab, will present ...

25 Oct. 2022 — rubinann22019

Rubin Digest 25 October 2022

Project & Science News

On October 17th, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Congresswoman Anna Eshoo and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, visited SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory for a tour of the Linac Coherent Light Source and the Rubin Obs...

25 Oct. 2022 — ann22026

Visit All of NOIRLab, Virtually!

For many astronomy enthusiasts, few things instill as much excitement as visiting one of the world-class telescopes and research centers that are part of NSF’s NOIRLab. From the remote and rugged mountains of Chile to the towering slopes of Maunakea, f...

21 Oct. 2022 — ann22027

Alejandra Voigt Appointed Vice President and Head of Mission for AURA Observatory in Chile

Alejandra Voigt has been appointed the Head of Mission for AURA Observatory in Chile (AURA-O), which represents AURA in that country, and Vice President of AURA.

Voigt comes to AURA from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), where s...

12 Oct. 2022 — rubinann22018

Rubin Digest 12 October 2022

Project & Science News

Representatives from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the US Department of Energy (DOE) visited the Rubin construction site on Cerro Pachón on September 27th to view construction progress and interact with Rubin lea...

11 Oct. 2022 — ann22025

Photo Exhibition Highlights Imperative to Protect Near-Space

The International Astronomical Union’s (IAU) Centre for the Protection of the Dark and Quiet Sky from Satellite Constellation Interference (CPS), which is co-hosted by NSF’s NOIRLab and SKA Observatory, is supporting a photography exhibition that explo...

7 Oct. 2022 — ann22023

Kitt Peak Telescopes Explore the Universe Again

Though much work still needs to be done, many of the telescopes and key scientific instruments located at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), a Program of NSF’s NOIRLab, that were affected by the June 2022 Contreras Fire have now returned to service...

5 Oct. 2022 — ann22024

Stuartt Corder Appointed NOIRLab Deputy Director and AURA Mission Scientist in Chile

NSF’s NOIRLab is pleased to announce that Stuartt Corder will become the new Deputy Director of NOIRLab and AURA Mission Scientist in Chile, effective 7 November.

Corder has more than 15 years of experience with world-class astronomical facilities, i...

27 Sept. 2022 — rubinann22017

Rubin Digest 27 September 2022

Project & Science News

A quarterly meeting of the AURA Management Council for Rubin Observatory (AMCR) took place September 14-15 in Palo Alto, CA. A highlight of this productive meeting was a visit to the clean room at SLAC National Accelerator L...

26 Sept. 2022 — ann22022

Richard Green Interim Director for the NOIRLab US-ELTP

Richard Green Appointed Interim NOIRLab US-ELTP Project Director

Richard Green, the Assistant Director for Government Relations, Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, has been appointed the interim Project Director of NOIRLab’s part of the US Extremely Large Telescope Program (US-ELTP), a joint endeavor of NSF...

6 Sept. 2022 — rubinann22016

Rubin Digest 06 September 2022

Project & Science News

The Rubin Science Advisory Committee (SAC) held a meeting at the Project and Community Workshop, and has posted the minutes of the meeting, including a number of findings and recommendations for Rubin management. They includ...

2 Sept. 2022 — ann22021

Vera C. Rubin Observatory Commissioning Camera install

Rubin Commissioning Camera Installed on the Telescope Mount

Vera C. Rubin Observatory’s Commissioning Camera (ComCam) has been successfully installed on the Telescope Mount Assembly on the summit of Cerro Pachón in Chile. This is the first of many optical components to be integrated with the telescope structure...

29 Aug. 2022 — ann20002

Coronavirus COVID-19 Measures at NOIRLab

As COVID-19 continues to spread globally, NOIRLab is actively responding to the situation and taking measures to ensure the safety of its staff and the public. We are currently not hosting visitors to the summit or base facilities.

Update 29 August 20...

16 Aug. 2022 — ann22020

Explore the Universe with NSF’s NOIRLab

The Universe awaits! From the outskirts of our own Solar System to infant stars and galaxies at the other end of the observable Universe, astronomers are uncovering previously hidden wonders. Making this new era of exploration possible are the state-of...

Images of the Week

30 Nov. 2022 — iotw2248

Mauna Loa Lava and Light Pillar Caught on Camera from Gemini North

23 Nov. 2022 — iotw2247

Galactic Quartet

16 Nov. 2022 — iotw2246

Beginning to End of a Total Lunar Eclipse

9 Nov. 2022 — iotw2245

Double Trouble Total Lunar Eclipse

2 Nov. 2022 — iotw2244

A Sunny Day at Kitt Peak

26 Oct. 2022 — iotw2243

Star Trails over SOAR

19 Oct. 2022 — iotw2242

A Snowy Sunset

12 Oct. 2022 — iotw2241

A Storm of Light

5 Oct. 2022 — iotw2240

Moonrise over McMath-Pierce

28 Sept. 2022 — iotw2239

SOAR Below the Milky Way

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23 Nov. 2022

60 Years of Discovery from Cerro Tololo, the Observatory on the ‘Edge of the Abyss’

12 Oct. 2022

Rings around a rosy star system are destined for interstellar space

28 Sept. 2022

A glimpse of the first stars that lit up the Universe?

20 July 2022

GHOST in the machine: Gemini’s powerful spectrograph

28 June 2022

Teen Astronomy Café — To Go: A New Twist on Data in the Classroom

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.