Top 100 Images

Ranking
Date

1. One Sky Project Fulldome Still

A fulldome still from the Thunderbird short film of the One Sky Project film.
One Sky is a collection of beautiful short films about constellations, astronomical instruments and scientific knowledge from various cultures around the world. Each chapter is presented in an original and engaging way with its own artistic style featuring the work of international artists. Each film stands alone as a short story or in combination as a longer narrative.

2. One Sky Project Fulldome Still

A fulldome still from the One Sky Project film.
One Sky is a collection of beautiful short films about constellations, astronomical instruments and scientific knowledge from various cultures around the world. Each chapter is presented in an original and engaging way with its own artistic style featuring the work of international artists. Each film stands alone as a short story or in combination as a longer narrative.

3. Sunsets at Rubin Observatory

A week of various sunsets at Vera C. Rubin Observatory on Cerro Pachón in Chile.

4. Rubin Observatory Dome Construction

Construction workers on the dome of the Vera C. Rubin Observatory on Cerro Pachón in Chile.

5. Rubin Observatory Dome

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory dome on Cerro Pachón in Chile.

6. Rubin Observatory Camera

The camera for the Vera C. Rubin Observatory.

7. Rubin Observatory Camera

The camera for the Vera C. Rubin Observatory.

8. ‘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 the so-called Taffy Galaxies — UGC 12914 and UGC 12915. Their twisted appearance 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.

9. Testing Gemini’s Super-Laser

10. Hiltner 2.4-meter Telescope 360 Panorama

A 360 panorama view of the Hiltner 2.4-meter Telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), a Program of NSF's NOIRLab.

11. McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope 360 Panorama

A 360 panorama view of the McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), a Program of NSF's NOIRLab. The McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope was decommissioned in 2017 and is being converted to the NOIRLab Windows on the Universe Center for Astronomy Outreach.

12. Globular Cluster Omega Centauri Captured by NEWFIRM on the Blanco Telescope

During its commissioning and capabilities testing, astronomers used NEWFIRM on the Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) in Chile to capture a spectacular image of the Omega Centauri globular cluster.
At about 17,000 light-years from Earth in the direction of the constellation Centaurus, Omega Centauri is the largest globular cluster in the Milky Way, containing approximately 10 million stars, making it a popular target for observations.

13. Multiple Green Flashes

From the high altitude of Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) in Chile, two astrophotographers captured the elusive sunset phenomenon known as the green flash. This stunning trick of light occurs at sunset and sunrise when light from the Sun travels through the thickest part of Earth’s atmosphere. Acting like a prism, Earth's atmosphere bends, or refracts, the light and separates it into its component wavelengths. Blue and violet light are scattered by the atmosphere, while red, orange and yellow are refracted below the solar disk below the horizon, leaving the green light the most visible during the few seconds that ...

14. AURA Recinto Building B 360 Panorama

A 360 panorama view of the AURA Recinto Building B in La Serena, Chile.

15. AURA Recinto Building B 360 Panorama

A 360 panorama view of the AURA Recinto Bulding B in La serena, Chile.

16. AURA Recinto Building B 360 Panorama

A 360 panorama view of the AURA Recinto Building B in La Serena, Chile.

17. PROMPT and Evryscope-South Telescope Fulldome

A fulldome view of the Evryscope-South Telescope and the Panchromatic Robotic Optical Monitoring and Polarimetry Telescopes (PROMPT) #1, #2, #3, #5, #6, and #7 at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), a Program of NSF's NOIRLab, in Chile.
A 360 panorama version of this image can be found here.

18. PROMPT and Evryscope-South Telescope 360 Panorama

A 360 panorama view of the Evryscope-South Telescope and the Panchromatic Robotic Optical Monitoring and Polarimetry Telescopes (PROMPT) #1, #2, #3, #5, #6, and #7 at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), a Program of NSF's NOIRLab, in Chile.
A fulldome version of this image can be found here.

19. Las Cumbres Observatory Fulldome

A fulldome view of the tenant telescopes at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), a Program of NSF's NOIRLab. In the foreground are the Las Cumbres Observaotry 1-meter Telescopes (#4, #5, #9), the Las Cumbres Observatory 0.4-meter Telescopes (#9 and #12), and the SMARTS 1.3-meter Telescope.
A 360 panorama version of this image can be found here.

20. Las Cumbres Observatory 360 Panorama

A 360 panorama view of the tenant telescopes at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), a Program of NSF's NOIRLab. In the foreground are the Las Cumbres Observaotry 1-meter Telescopes (#4, #5, #9), the Las Cumbres Observatory 0.4-meter Telescopes (#9 and #12), and the SMARTS 1.3-meter Telescope.
A fulldome version of this image can be found here.

21. Tucson HQ Central Administrative Services Building

A 360 panorama showing a street view of the NOIRLab Headquarters Central Administrative Services building in Tucson, Arizona.

22. Journey Through the Universe 2023

NOIRLab's Peter Michaud at Journey Through the Universe 2023 in Hawai‘i.

23. Journey Through the Universe 2023

NOIRLab's Zachary Hartman at Journey Through the Universe 2023 in Hawai‘i.

24. Journey Through the Universe 2023

NOIRLab's Rob Sparks at Journey Through the Universe 2023 in Hawai‘i.

25. Journey Through the Universe 2023

NOIRLab's Rob Sparks at Journey Through the Universe 2023 in Hawai‘i.

26. Journey Through the Universe 2023

NOIRLab staff at Journey Through the Universe 2023 in Hawai‘i.

27. Journey Through the Universe 2023

NOIRLab staff at Journey Through the Universe 2023 in Hawai‘i.

28. Journey Through the Universe 2023

'Imiloa Astronomy Center's Emily Peavy at Journey Through the Universe 2023 in Hawai‘i.

29. Journey Through the Universe 2023

'Imiloa Astronomy Center's Emily Peavy at Journey Through the Universe 2023 in Hawai‘i.

30. Summer Interns at SOAR

Engineering interns outside SOAR on their visit to the telescopes in Chile for the NOIRLab Summer Internship Program.

31. Summer Interns at Gemini South

Engineering interns at Gemini South on their visit to the telescopes in Chile for the NOIRLab Summer Internship Program.

32. NSF Visit at the Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope

NSF visitors and staff inside the Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope dome at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile.

33. NSF Visit at the Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope

NSF visitors and staff outside the Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile.

34. NOIRLab at Journey Through the Universe 2023

Peter Michaud in a classroom interacting with students during Journey Through the Universe 2023 in Hawai‘i.

35. NOIRLab HQ Rubin Remote Observing Room 360 Panorama

A 360 panorama view of the Rubin remote observing room at NOIRLab Headquarters in Tucson, Arizona.

36. Above the Cliffs at Cerro Pachón

The almost sheer cliffs of Cerro Pachón are surmounted by a trio of telescopes under an azure sky in this drone image. The three telescopes operated by NSF’s NOIRLab are, from the closest to the farthest, the SOAR telescope, Gemini South, and Vera C. Rubin Observatory, currently under construction. Once Rubin Observatory is complete it will scour the night sky using the largest digital camera ever fabricated for optical astronomy in an unprecedented, decade-long survey called the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST). By surveying the entire night sky every few nights, Rubin Observatory will revolutionize our study of ...

37. Josie Fenske

Josie Fenske, a science communicator at NOIRLab.

38. Tracing Dark Matter

Tracing dark matter across the spectrum and across the cosmos.
Read more here.

39. Cosmic Microwave Background

This map of the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation, imprinted on the sky when the universe was 370,000 years old, shows tiny temperature fluctuations that correspond to regions of slightly different densities.
Read more here.

40. CMB Galaxy Lensing

This image illustrates the various sources of light, and how their paths are bent (left), and three types of comparisons that involve CMB lensing (right), which was used in this study to extract cosmological information.
Read more here.

41. Kitt Peak National Observatory Aerial

An aerial view of Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), a Program of NSF's NOIRLab, showing the burn scars from the 2022 Contreras Fire.
Pictured from left to right, top to bottom: KPNO 2.1-meter Telescope, WIYN 0.9-meter Telescope, Visitor Center Levine 0.4-meter Telescope, WIYN 3.5-meter Telescope, Calypso 1.2-meter Telescope Building, Robotically Controlled Telescope, Administration Building, and dormitories.

42. Kitt Peak National Observatory Aerial

An aerial view of Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), a Program of NSF's NOIRLab, showing the burn scars from the 2022 Contreras Fire.
Pictured from left to right: Nicholas U. Mayall 4-meter Telescope, UArizona Bok 2.3-meter Telescope, UArizona 0.9-meter Spacewatch Telescope, and UArizona 1.8-meter Spacewatch Telescope.

43. KPNO Buildings 360 Panorama

A 360 panorama of buildings next to the UArizona 1.8-meter Spacewatch Telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), a Program of NSF's NOIRLab, with the UArizona 0.9-meter Spacewatch Telescope and Nicholas U. Mayall 4-meter Telescope visible in the background.

44. KPNO Dormitory 360 Panorama

A 360 panorama of a dormitory at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), a Program of NSF's NOIRLab, with the KPNO 2.1-meter Telescope visible in the background.

45. KPNO Dormitory 2 360 Panorama

A 360 panorama of dormitory 2 at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), a Program of NSF's NOIRLab, with the McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope and Nicholas U. Mayall 4-meter Telescope visible in the background.

46. KPNO Dormitory 2 360 Panorama

A 360 panorama of dormitory 2 at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), a Program of NSF's NOIRLab, with the McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope and Nicholas U. Mayall 4-meter Telescope visible in the background.

47. AstroDay Chile

Families engage in fun and educational activities at AstroDay in Chile.

48. International Women's Day in Chile

Alejandra Voigt, Vice President and Head of Mission for AURA, with staff in Chile celebrating International Women's Day.

49. International Women's Day in Chile

Bárbara Medel hosting a presentation for International Women's Day in Chile

50. International Women's Day in Chile

Staff in Chile attending a presentation by Bárbara Medel for International Women's Day.

51. Rubin Joint Operations Review 2023

Participants in the Rubin Joint Operations review visiting the Rubin camera (known as LSSTCam) at SLAC.

52. Rubin Joint Operations Review 2023

Participants at the Rubin Joint Operations Review 2023.

53. KPNO 2.1-meter Telescope Interior Fulldome

A fulldome view of the KPNO 2.1-meter Telescope interior on Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona.

54. KPNO 2.1-meter Telescope Interior Fulldome

A fulldome view of the KPNO 2.1-meter Telescope interior on Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona.

55. KPNO 2.1-meter Telescope Interior Fulldome

A fulldome view of the KPNO 2.1-meter Telescope interior on Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona.

56. KPNO 2.1-meter Telescope Interior

The interior of the KPNO 2.1-meter Telescope on Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona.

57. KPNO 2.1-meter Telescope Interior

The interior of the KPNO 2.1-meter Telescope on Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona.

58. A legendary nebula

The nebula that keeps on giving, Messier 1 (Crab Nebula) is captured here by the Nicholas U. Mayall 4-meter Telescope from Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), a Program of NSF’s NOIRLab. The storied history of this supernova remnant in modern astronomy begins when it was recorded in 1731 by British astronomer John Bevis, who believed it was nothing more than a cloudy blob. It was more than three decades later that French comet hunter Charles Messier clarified that the object was in fact something, and it became the first entry in his catalog of nebulae and star clusters. Then in ...

59. Kitt Peak National Observatory Aerial Panorama

A distant aerial panoramic view of the telescopes at Kitt Peak National Observatory, showcasing the Arizonan landscape.

60. Kitt Peak National Observatory Aerial Panorama

An aerial panoramic view of the telescopes at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), a Program of NSF's NOIRLab, showing the burn scars from the 2022 Contreras Fire. Standing front and center of the image is the McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope.

61. Kitt Peak National Observatory Aerial Panorama

An aerial panoramic view of the telescopes at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), a Program of NSF's NOIRLab, showing the burn scars from the 2022 Contreras Fire. Standing front and center of the image is the WIYN 3.5-meter Telescope.

62. Kitt Peak National Observatory Aerial Panorama

An aerial panoramic view of the telescopes at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), a Program of NSF's NOIRLab, showing the burn scars from the 2022 Contreras Fire.

63. Road to Kitt Peak

An aerial view of the road leading up to Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), a Program of NSF's NOIRLab, and the burn scars from the 2022 Contreras Fire.

64. Kitt Peak National Observatory House 4

View from the roof of House 4 at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), a Program of NSF's NOIRLab, from which the KPNO 2.1-meter Telescope can be seen.

65. Kitt Peak National Observatory House 4

View from the roof of House 4 at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), a Program of NSF's NOIRLab.

66. Kitt Peak National Observatory House 4

View from the roof of House 4 at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), a Program of NSF's NOIRLab.

67. Kitt Peak National Observatory House 4

View from the roof of House 4 at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), a Program of NSF's NOIRLab.

68. Kitt Peak National Observatory House 4

View from the roof of House 4 at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), a Program of NSF's NOIRLab.

69. Kitt Peak National Observatory Dormitory 2

Dormitory 2 at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), a Program of NSF's NOIRLab.

70. Kitt Peak National Observatory Dormitory 2 Fulldome

A fulldome view of Dormitory 2 at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), a Program of NSf's NOIRLab.

71. AURA Recinto Building B 2nd Deck Corridor 360 Panorama

A 360 panorama view of the AURA Recinto Building B 2nd Deck Corridor in La Serena, Chile.

72. AURA Recinto Building B 2nd Deck Corridor 360 Panorama

A 360 panorama view of the AURA Recinto Building B 2nd Deck Corridor in La Serena, Chile.

73. UArizona Bok 2.3-meter Telescope 360 Panorama

A 360 panorama view of the UArizona Bok 2.3-meter Telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), a Program of NSF's NOIRLab.
A fulldome version of this image can be found here.

74. KTMNet 1.6-meter Telescope 360 Panorama

A 360 panorama view of the KMTNet 1.6-meter Telescope located at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) in Chile.
A fulldome version of this image can be found here.

75. KTMNet 1.6-meter Telescope Fulldome

A fulldome view of the KMTNet 1.6-meter Telescope located at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) in Chile.
A 360 panorama version of this image can be found here.

76. KTMNet 1.6-meter Telescope 360 Panorama

A 360 panorama view of the KMTNet 1.6-meter Telescope located at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) in Chile.
A fulldome version of this image can be found here.

77. KTMNet 1.6-meter Telescope Fulldome

A fulldome view of the KMTNet 1.6-meter Telescope located at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) in Chile.
A 360 panorama version of this image can be found here.

78. UArizona Bok 2.3-meter Telescope Fulldome

A fulldome view of the UArizona Bok 2.3-meter Telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), a Program of NSF's NOIRLab.
A 360 panorama version of this image can be found here.

79. Chiara Villanueva

Chiara Villanueva, a science communicator at NOIRLab.

80. New Globe at Night Website Launches

Globe at Night, the online citizen-science campaign run by NSF’s NOIRLab to raise public awareness of the impact of light pollution, has unveiled a new website that features a revamped and more streamlined user interface.

81. Kitt Peak National Observatory House 3

View from the roof of House 3 at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), a Program of NSF's NOIRLab.

82. Kitt Peak National Observatory House 3

View from the roof of House 3 at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), a Program of NSF's NOIRLab.

83. Kitt Peak National Observatory House 6

View from the roof of House 6 at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), a Program of NSF's NOIRLab, from which the KPNO 2.1-meter Telescope (left) and a number of other Kitt Peak telescopes can be seen.

84. Kitt Peak National Observatory House 6

View from the roof of House 6 at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), a Program of NSF's NOIRLab, from which the UArizona Bok 2.3-meter Telescope (left) and Nicholas U. Mayall 4-meter Telescope (right) can be seen.

85. Kitt Peak National Observatory House 6 Aerial

Aerial view of House 6 at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), a Program of NSF's NOIRLab.

86. Kitt Peak National Observatory Houses Aerial

Aerial view of housing buildings 2–5 at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), a Program of NSF's NOIRLab.

87. KPNO 2.1-meter Telescope Control Room

The KPNO 2.1-meter Telescope control room at Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona.

88. WIYN 0.9-meter Telescope Control Room

The WIYN 0.9-meter Telescope control room at Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona.

89. NOIRLab at Kindergarten Congress in Astronomy

NOIRLab participates in the Kindergarten Congress in Astronomy in Vicuña, Chile.

90. NOIRLab at Kindergarten Congress in Astronomy

NOIRLab participates in the Kindergarten Congress in Astronomy in Vicuña, Chile.

91. Kitt Peak National Observatory Facilities Building

The view from the roof of the Mountain Facilities Operations building at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), a Program of NSF's NOIRLab.

92. Kitt Peak National Observatory Facilities Buildings

The view from the roof of the Mountain Facilities Operations building at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), a Program of NSF's NOIRLab, from which the WIYN 0.9-meter Telescope (left), WIYN 3.5-meter Telescope, Robotically Controlled Telescope, and Visitor Center 0.5-meter Telescope (right) can be seen.

93. Kitt Peak National Observatory Facilities Buildings

Aerial view of Mountain Facilities Operations buildings at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), a Program of NSF's NOIRLab.

94. Kitt Peak National Observatory Facilities Buildings Aerial

Aerial view of Mountain Facilities Operations buildings at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), a Program of NSF's NOIRLab.

95. Kitt Peak National Observatory Dormitory 4 Aerial

Aerial view of Dormitory 4 at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), a Program of NSF's NOIRLab.

96. Kitt Peak National Observatory Dormitory 3 Aerial

Aerial view of Dormitory 3 at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), a Program of NSF's NOIRLab.

97. Kitt Peak National Observatory Dormitory 2

View from the roof of Dormitory 2 at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), a Program of NSF's NOIRLab, from which the McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope can be seen.

98. Kitt Peak National Observatory Dormitory 2 Aerial

Aerial view of Dormitory 2 at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), a Program of NSF's NOIRLab.

99. Kitt Peak National Observatory Dormitory 1

View from the roof of Dormitory 1 at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), a Program of NSF's NOIRLab, from which the WIYN 0.9-meter Telescope (left) and the WIYN 3.5-meter Telescope (right) can be seen.

100. Kitt Peak National Observatory Dormitory 1 Aerial

Aerial view of Dormitory 1 at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), a Program of NSF's NOIRLab.

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