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Press Releases


Artist’s Impression of Kilonova Progenitor Star System

Science Release: 1 Feb. 2023 — noirlab2303

First Kilonova Progenitor System Identified

Astronomers using data from the SMARTS 1.5-meter Telescope at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), a Program of NSF's NOIRLab, have made the first confirmed detection of a star system that will one day form a kilonova — the ultra-powerful, gold-producing explosion created by merging neutron stars. These systems are so phenomenally rare that only about 10 such systems are thought to exist in the entire Milky Way.

Infographic illustrating the impact of light pollution on our ability to see stars and other objects in the night sky.

Organization Release: 19 Jan. 2023 — noirlab2302

Stars Disappear Before Our Eyes, Citizen Scientists Report

A startling analysis from Globe at Night — a citizen science program run by NSF’s NOIRLab — concludes that stars are disappearing from human sight at an astonishing rate. The study finds that, to human eyes, artificial lighting has dulled the night sky more rapidly than indicated by satellite measurements. The study published in the journal Science showcases the unique contributions that citizen scientists can make in essential fields of research.

Gargantuan Astronomical Data Tapestry of the Milky Way

Organization Release: 18 Jan. 2023 — noirlab2301

Billions of Celestial Objects Revealed in Gargantuan Survey of the Milky Way

Astronomers have released a gargantuan survey of the galactic plane of the Milky Way. The new dataset contains a staggering 3.32 billion celestial objects — arguably the largest such catalog so far. The data for this unprecedented survey were taken with the Dark Energy Camera, built by the US Department of Energy, at the NSF’s Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile, a Program of NOIRLab.

Artist's impression of colliding neutron stars

Science Release: 7 Dec. 2022 — noirlab2228

Kilonova Discovery Challenges our Understanding of Gamma-Ray Bursts

While studying the aftermath of a long gamma-ray burst (GRB), two independent teams of astronomers using a host of telescopes in space and on Earth, including the Gemini North telescope on Hawai‘i and the Gemini South telescope in Chile, have uncovered the unexpected hallmarks of a kilonova, the colossal explosion triggered by colliding neutron stars. This discovery challenges the prevailing theory that long GRBs exclusively come from supernovae, the end-of-life explosions of massive stars.

Artist’s impression of the closest black hole to Earth and its Sun-like companion star

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.

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 only hosting public visitors at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile. Given the continuously evolving nature of the pandemic, we currently do not have a reopening date for our other summit sites or base facilities. When these dates are available we will share them on our website and social media. The timeline may be different for each site.

Read more.

Announcements


2 Feb. 2023 — ann23007 A Love the Stars 2023

Globe at Night Encourages Public to ‘Love the Stars’ in February 2023

Globe at Night is an international, online, citizen-science campaign, run by NSF’s NOIRLab to raise public awareness of the impact of light pollution by inviting citizen-scientists to measure and submit their night-sky brightness observations. 

This F...

31 Jan. 2023 — ann23006 Catharine Garmany

NOIRLab’s Catharine Garmany Named 2022 AAAS Fellow

Catharine Garmany, Scientist Emerita at NSF’s NOIRLab, has been named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Election as an AAAS Fellow is an honor bestowed upon AAAS members by their peers.

Garmany was elected as ...

27 Jan. 2023 — ann23005 Lucas Macri

New Project Director for NOIRLab US-ELT Program Appointed

NOIRLab is pleased to announce the appointment of Lucas Macri as the new Project Director of NOIRLab’s part of the US Extremely Large Telescope Program (US-ELTP). The US-ELTP is a joint initiative of NSF’s NOIRLab and the organizations building the Gia...

25 Jan. 2023 — rubinann23001 Rubin Observatory Logo

Rubin Digest 25 January 2023

Project & Science News

Rubin Observatory was highly visible at the winter meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS241) in Seattle WA on January 8-12. In addition to numerous presentations and posters highlighting Rubin/LSST science, Rubin...

10 Jan. 2023 — ann23004 Circumpolar Laser Tests at Gemini North

NSF and SpaceX Sign Agreement to Mitigate Impact of Starlink Satellites on Ground-Based Astronomy

The National Science Foundation (NSF) and SpaceX have finalized a coordination agreement to mitigate the impact of the company’s Starlink satellites on ground-based radio-, optical-, and infrared-astronomy facilities. The NSF’s public statement is here...

9 Jan. 2023 — ann23003 NOIRLab Mirror: Issue 04

January Issue of the NOIRLab Mirror Newsletter Published

The fourth (January 2023) edition of The NOIRLab Mirror newsletter is now available. This biannual publication focuses on news for the NOIRLab community and showcases the science, technology, and developments across the five NOIRLab Programs: the Commu...

6 Jan. 2023 — ann23002 New Gemini Logo

International Gemini Observatory Launches New Logo

The International Gemini Observatory has unveiled a new logo that celebrates the combined legacy of the twin Gemini telescopes and their new capabilities and instrumentation. 

The redesigned logo retains the classic gold-color concept from its predece...

5 Jan. 2023 — ann23001 NOIRLab Capabilities 2023

New Publications Highlight the Unparalleled Capabilities of NSF’s NOIRLab

The more we learn about the Universe, the more questions we uncover. To help astronomers continue this journal of discovery, NOIRLab provides some of the most advanced tools, facilities, and instruments to the international research community. These re...

14 Dec. 2022 — ann22034 Visitors at CTIO during the 2019 solar eclipse

Public Visits Restarting at NSF’s NOIRLab Cerro Tololo in Chile

NSF’s NOIRLab is proud to announce the planned restart of public visits at its Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) in Chile.

Visits to our scientific facilities are only one of many ways NOIRLab helps share the wonders of discovery and the ...

13 Dec. 2022 — rubinann22022 Rubin Observatory Logo

Rubin Digest 13 December 2022

Project & Science News

A holiday message from the Rubin Construction and Rubin Operations leadership teams: It has been a challenging and productive year for the Rubin Observatory team. We are thankful for having the opportunity to work on s...

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 Observatory Logo

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.

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 Observatory Logo

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 telescope - side view

Gemini North Shutdown Extended Following Incident During Mirror Movement

Update 25 January 2023:

The Observatory now has a signed agreement in place with Safran-REOSC for the preparatory work, glass repair, and lateral-pad removal for the primary mirror at Gemini North and Safran-REOSC has begun their preparatory work. Our...

26 Oct. 2022 — ann22029 Exoplanet System Illustration

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 Observatory Logo

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!

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

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...

Images of the Week


A Sky for Discovery

1 Feb. 2023 — iotw2305

A Sky for Discovery

High, Dry and Covered in Snow

25 Jan. 2023 — iotw2304

High, Dry and Covered in Snow

A Breeze of Color

18 Jan. 2023 — iotw2303

A Breeze of Color

An Expansive Universe

11 Jan. 2023 — iotw2302

An Expansive Universe

Triple Stellar Treat

4 Jan. 2023 — iotw2301

Triple Stellar Treat

Silent Night, Starry Night

28 Dec. 2022 — iotw2252

Silent Night, Starry Night

Happy Holidays 2022

21 Dec. 2022 — iotw2251

Happy Holidays 2022

Big Telescope, Bigger Moon

14 Dec. 2022 — iotw2250

Big Telescope, Bigger Moon

Coloring the Night

7 Dec. 2022 — iotw2249

Coloring the Night

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

30 Nov. 2022 — iotw2248

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

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Babak Tafreshi

26 Jan. 2023

Photographing the World at Night: First of NOIRLab’s Ambassadors Program

AAS 241 Exhibition Banner

6 Jan. 2023

Science Shines Bright at the ‘World Cup’ of Astronomy and Astrophysics

Two views of the gas in the Southern Ring Nebula (NIRCam and MIRI Composite Images)

8 Dec. 2022

New images of a planetary nebula suggest a cosmic crime scene

Construccion Blanco 1967

23 Nov. 2022

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

WR 140 with JWST

12 Oct. 2022

Rings around a rosy star system are destined for interstellar space

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.

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Discovering Our Universe Together

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NSF’s NOIRLab is the preeminent US national center for ground-based, nighttime optical and infrared astronomy. The Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc. (AURA) operates these facilities and NSF’s NOIRLab under a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation (NSF).