Press Releases

Young stellar jet MHO 2147

Photo Release: 20 Jan. 2022 — noirlab2204

Sidewinding Young Stellar Jets Spied by Gemini South

Sinuous stellar jets meander lazily across a field of stars in new images captured from Chile by the international Gemini Observatory, a Program of NSF's NOIRLab. The gently curving stellar jets are the outflow from young stars, and astronomers suspect their sidewinding appearances are caused by the gravitational attraction of companion stars. These crystal-clear observations were made using the Gemini South telescope’s adaptive optics system, which helps astronomers counteract the blurring effects of atmospheric turbulence.
A slice through the 3D map of galaxies from DESI

Organization Release: 13 Jan. 2022 — noirlab2203

DESI at Kitt Peak Has Mapped More Galaxies Than All Previous 3D Surveys Combined

The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) has cataloged more galaxies than all other previous three-dimensional redshift surveys combined, measuring 7.5 million galaxies in only seven months since beginning science operations. The US Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory leads DESI, which is installed at Kitt Peak National Observatory, a program of NSF's NOIRLab, on the Nicholas U. Mayall 4-meter Telescope.
Artist's impression of an evolving white dwarf and millisecond pulsar binary system.

Science Release: 12 Jan. 2022 — noirlab2202

Cosmic 'Spider' Found to Be Source of Powerful Gamma-Rays

Using the 4.1-meter SOAR Telescope in Chile, astronomers have discovered the first example of a binary system where a star in the process of becoming a white dwarf is orbiting a neutron star that has just finished turning into a rapidly spinning pulsar. The pair, originally detected by the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, is a “missing link” in the evolution of such binary systems.
Illustration of Primordial Stellar Stream near Milky Way

Science Release: 5 Jan. 2022 — noirlab2201

Ruins of Ancient Star Cluster Found at Milky Way’s Edge

A primordial stellar stream discovered in the outer reaches of the Milky Way has a lower proportion of heavy elements than any known stellar system in our galaxy. Observations with the Gemini Observatory, a Program of NSF’s NOIRLab, showed that the stars in this stream were torn from an ancient star cluster and are relics from the early days of the Milky Way, which could provide insights into the formation of the first stars.
Artist's impression of a free-floating planet

Science Release: 22 Dec. 2021 — noirlab2131

Largest Collection of Free-Floating Planets Found in the Milky Way

Using observations and archival data from several of NSF's NOIRLab’s observatories, together with observations from telescopes around the world and in orbit, astronomers have discovered at least 70 new free-floating planets — planets that wander through space without a parent star — in a nearby region of the Milky Way. This is the largest sample of such planets found in a single group and it nearly doubles the number known over the entire sky.

Images of the Week

Foreground, Background, Backdrop

26 Jan. 2022 — iotw2204

Foreground, Background, Backdrop
Churning Clouds

19 Jan. 2022 — iotw2203

Churning Clouds
Keeping It Cool

12 Jan. 2022 — iotw2202

Keeping It Cool
Leonard, Rubin, and Venus

5 Jan. 2022 — iotw2201

Leonard, Rubin, and Venus
A Collection of Spirals

29 Dec. 2021 — iotw2152

A Collection of Spirals
The Comet, the Planets, and the Sprite

22 Dec. 2021 — iotw2151

The Comet, the Planets, and the Sprite
Happy Holidays 2021

15 Dec. 2021 — iotw2150

Happy Holidays 2021
The Heart of a Centaur

8 Dec. 2021 — iotw2149

The Heart of a Centaur
A Tendril of Stars

1 Dec. 2021 — iotw2148

A Tendril of Stars
Ribbons of Light

24 Nov. 2021 — iotw2147

Ribbons of Light

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SOAR Telescope (left) and Gemini South (right)

16 Dec. 2021

AEON: Tracking things that go bump in the night
Gemini North sunset panorama

30 Nov. 2021

How students discovered the early Universe’s brightest gravitationally lensed galaxy
Dr. Sidney Wolff Honored at Chilean Dedication

17 Nov. 2021

The legacy of Sidney Wolff
Artist’s impression of a brown dwarf orbiting a white dwarf

2 Nov. 2021

A glimpse into the Solar System’s future
John Blakeslee

20 Oct. 2021

John Blakeslee: A passion for telescopes

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.