Press Releases

Artist Impression of a Star Devouring One of Its Planets

Science Release: 3 May 2023 — noirlab2311

Astronomers Witness Star Devouring Planet: Possible Preview of the Ultimate Fate of Earth

Astronomers using the Gemini South telescope in Chile, operated by NSF’s NOIRLab, have observed the first evidence of a dying Sun-like star engulfing an exoplanet. The “smoking gun” of this event was seen in a long and low-energy outburst from the star — the telltale signature of a planet skimming along a star’s surface. This never-before-seen process may herald the ultimate fate of Earth when our own Sun nears the end of its life in about five billion years.
Comparison of EHT and EHT Reconstructed with PRIMO

Photo Release: 13 April 2023 — noirlab2310

A Sharper Look at the First Image of a Black Hole

A team of researchers, including an astronomer with NSF’s NOIRLab, has developed a new machine-learning technique to enhance the fidelity and sharpness of radio interferometry images. To demonstrate the power of their new approach, which is called PRIMO, the team created a new, high-fidelity version of the iconic Event Horizon Telescope's image of the supermassive black hole at the center of Messier 87, a giant elliptical galaxy located 55 million light-years from Earth.
Artist’s Impression of a Pair of Quasars at ‘Cosmic Noon’

Science Release: 5 April 2023 — noirlab2309

Dual Quasars Blaze Bright at the Center of Merging Galaxies

Astronomers using an array of ground- and space-based telescopes, including Gemini North on Hawai‘i, have uncovered a closely bound duo of energetic quasars — the hallmark of a pair of merging galaxies — seen when the Universe was only three billion years old. This discovery sheds light on the evolution of galaxies at “cosmic noon,” a period in the history of the Universe when galaxies underwent bursts of furious star formation. This merger also represents a system on the verge of becoming a giant elliptical galaxy.
‘Taffy Galaxies’ Collide, Leave Behind Bridge of Star-Forming Material

Photo Release: 29 March 2023 — noirlab2308

‘Taffy Galaxies’ Collide, Leave Behind Bridge of Star-Forming Material

The Gemini North telescope, one half of the International Gemini Observatory, operated by NSF’s NOIRLab, captured this dazzling image of UGC 12914 and UGC 12915, which are nicknamed the Taffy Galaxies. Their twisted shape is the result of a head-on collision that occurred about 25 million years prior to their appearance in this image. A bridge of highly turbulent gas devoid of significant star formation spans the gap between the two galaxies.
DECam Images RCW 86, Remains of Supernova Witnessed in 185

Photo Release: 1 March 2023 — noirlab2307

Supernova From the Year 185: A Rare View of the Entirety of This Supernova Remnant

The tattered shell of the first-ever historically recorded supernova was captured by the US Department of Energy-fabricated Dark Energy Camera, which is mounted on the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile, a Program of NSF’s NOIRLab. RCW 86’s ring of debris is all that remains of a white-dwarf star that exploded more than 1800 years ago, when it was recorded by Chinese stargazers as a ‘guest star’.

Images of the Week

Distant Telescopes of the Chilean Mountaintops

3 May 2023 — iotw2318

Distant Telescopes of the Chilean Mountaintops
A Cosmic Overpass

26 April 2023 — iotw2317

A Cosmic Overpass
Nebular Harvest

19 April 2023 — iotw2316

Nebular Harvest
Caught Between Earth and Sky

12 April 2023 — iotw2315

Caught Between Earth and Sky
The Belt of Venus over the McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope

5 April 2023 — iotw2314

The Belt of Venus over the McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope
Multiple Green Flashes

28 March 2023 — iotw2313

Multiple Green Flashes
Above the Cliffs at Cerro Pachón

22 March 2023 — iotw2312

Above the Cliffs at Cerro Pachón
A legendary nebula

15 March 2023 — iotw2311

A legendary nebula
Maunakea by Moonlight

8 March 2023 — iotw2310

Maunakea by Moonlight
The Isolation of Gemini South

1 March 2023 — iotw2309

The Isolation of Gemini South

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A Day in the Life of an Observatory

26 April 2023

A Day in the Life of an Observatory
Titan Atmosphere Composite

11 April 2023

Forecast for Titan: Using Stars to Study Atmosphere on Saturn’s Moon
Galactic Rainbow

16 March 2023

Dark Sky Protection: We Are Losing the Universe
Tracing Dark Matter

10 March 2023

Tracing Dark Matter Across the Spectrum and Across the Cosmos
JWST Image of Galaxies

16 Feb. 2023

Unveiling Networks of Stellar Nurseries in Nearby Galaxies

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