Press Releases

Journey Through the Universe 2021 poster

Organization Release: 22 Feb. 2021 — noirlab2109

Journey Through the Universe 2021

Journey Through the Universe — which, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, will take place entirely online for the first time in 2021 — will share the wonders of the Universe and the possibilities of a career in science and technology with school students on Hawai‘i Island. This year’s iteration of the flagship astronomy education and outreach program is highlighted by a week of virtual educational programming from 1 to 5 March 2021.
Farfarout Illustration

Science Release: 10 Feb. 2021 — noirlab2108

Astronomers Confirm Solar System’s Most Distant Known Object Is Indeed Farfarout

With the help of the international Gemini Observatory, a Program of NSF’s NOIRLab, and other ground-based telescopes, astronomers have confirmed that a faint object discovered in 2018 and nicknamed “Farfarout” is indeed the most distant object yet found in our Solar System. The object has just received its designation from the International Astronomical Union.
Southern Pinwheel Galaxy, Messier 83

Photo Release: 8 Feb. 2021 — noirlab2107

The Spiral of the Southern Pinwheel

The Dark Energy Camera (DECam), which was originally designed for the Dark Energy Survey, has captured one of the deepest images ever taken of Messier 83, a spiral galaxy playfully known as the Southern Pinwheel. Built by the US Department of Energy, DECam is mounted on the Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), a Program of NSF’s NOIRLab.
Elliptical galaxy NGC 474 — excerpt from the Dark Energy Survey

Organization Release: 14 Jan. 2021 — noirlab2106

Shining a New Light on Dark Energy

The Dark Energy Survey has released a massive, public collection of astronomical data and calibrated images from six years of work. Containing data on nearly 700 million astronomical objects, this second data release in the Survey’s seven-year history is the topic of sessions today and tomorrow at the 237th meeting of the American Astronomical Society.
Brown dwarfs in the Sun’s neighborhood

Science Release: 13 Jan. 2021 — noirlab2105

Mapping Our Sun’s Backyard

Astronomers have curated the most complete list of nearby brown dwarfs to date thanks to discoveries made by thousands of volunteers participating in the Backyard Worlds citizen science project. The list and 3D map of 525 brown dwarfs — including 38 reported for the first time — incorporate observations from a host of astronomical instruments including several NOIRLab facilities. The results confirm that the Sun’s neighborhood appears surprisingly diverse relative to other parts of the Milky Way Galaxy.

Images of the Week

Lightning Strikes Up

24 Feb. 2021 — iotw2108

Lightning Strikes Up
Guardians of the Galaxy

17 Feb. 2021 — iotw2107

Guardians of the Galaxy
Snowy Sunrise on Maunakea

10 Feb. 2021 — iotw2106

Snowy Sunrise on Maunakea
Oh, What a Beautiful Morning!

3 Feb. 2021 — iotw2105

Oh, What a Beautiful Morning!
Serpent’s Nebula

27 Jan. 2021 — iotw2104

Serpent’s Nebula
A Stellar Storm

20 Jan. 2021 — iotw2103

A Stellar Storm
A Vintage Lightning Storm at Kitt Peak

13 Jan. 2021 — iotw2102

A Vintage Lightning Storm at Kitt Peak
Portrait of a Needle Galaxy

6 Jan. 2021 — iotw2101

Portrait of a Needle Galaxy
Sunset Skies at CTIO

30 Dec. 2020 — iotw2053

Sunset Skies at CTIO
The Great 2020 Conjunction

23 Dec. 2020 — iotw2052

The Great 2020 Conjunction

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Cerro Tololo

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.

Community Science & Data Center

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.

Kitt Peak

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

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

Rubin Observatory

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.