Time-Domain Astronomy at Cerro Tololo

A stunning view of the Milky Way above the U.S. National Science Foundation Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), a Program of NSF NOIRLab, is captured in this Image of the Week. In addition to its largest and best-known telescopes, CTIO hosts around 40 telescopes from 11 tenant observatories and research projects. Shown here are many of the facilities operated by Las Cumbres Observatory (LCO), including the three Las Cumbres Observatory 1-meter Telescopes (left) and the ‘igloo’ for an echelle spectrograph (center). The Planetary Defense 1.3-meter Telescope is on the right. 

LCO is a global network of telescopes that are spaced out longitudinally around the globe, allowing for night-sky objects to be monitored around the clock. This ability to observe objects continuously is crucial in the field of time-domain astronomy, the study of how astronomical objects change with time. Time-domain astronomy is concerned with objects that change rapidly in brightness or position — think seconds to days or weeks instead of millions or billions of years. Examples of transients include supernovae and gamma-ray bursts.

This photo was taken as part of the NOIRLab 2022 Photo Expedition to all the NOIRLab sites. Petr Horálek, the photographer, is a NOIRLab Audiovisual Ambassador. Fulldome and 360 panorama versions of this photo are available.