Press Releases

Colorized 2D spectra of Gliese 486 (visible light)

Organization Release: 4 March 2021 — noirlab2110

MAROON-X Embarks on its Exoplanet Quest

Astronomers using the recently installed instrument MAROON-X on Gemini North have determined the mass of a transiting exoplanet orbiting the nearby star Gliese 486. As well as putting the innovative new instrument through its paces, this result, when combined with data from the TESS satellite, precisely measures key properties of a rocky planet that is ideal for follow-up observations with the next generation of ground- and space-based telescopes.
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.

Images of the Week

Heavy Lifting at Vera C. Rubin Observatory

3 March 2021 — iotw2109

Heavy Lifting at Vera C. Rubin Observatory
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

Learn More

New issue of the NOIRLab Mirror

Join Our Online Events

Globe at Night

Join our Social Media channels

Sign up for NOIRLab News!

Our Programs

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.

Gemini Observatory

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.