Advanced press release search

10 Agosto 2005: Like archaeologists unearthing a 'lost city,' astronomers using the 8-meter Gemini South telescope have revealed that the galaxy NGC 300 has a large, faint extended disk made of ancient stars, enlarging the known diameter of the galaxy by a factor of two or more.

13 Enero 2005: Astronomers using the Gemini South 8-meter telescope in Chile have observed new details in the dusty disk surrounding the nearby star Beta Pictoris which show that a large collision between planetary-sized bodies may have occurred there as recently as the past few decades.

30 Junio 2003: Gemini Observatory's new imaging spectrograph, without the help of adaptive optics, recently captured images that are among the sharpest ever obtained of astronomical objects from the ground.

13 Agosto 2002: Thanks to a unique combination of international cooperation and the latest Internet technology, Gemini Observatory is now well on its way to becoming the world's first global "cyber observatory".

20 Junio 2002: What began as an essay contest in British Columbia, Canada to encourage an interest in astronomy for elementary school students has resulted in spectacular images and scientific data that may warrant possible follow-up observations.

4 Junio 2002: Optical technicians dressed in clean suits and protective gear incorporate a little old-fashioned "horse sense" into their procedures as they use common horse soap to clean the 8-meter (26-foot) mirror of Gemini North Telescope high atop the nearly 14,000-foot (approximately 4,000 meters) peak of Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawai'i. The periodic cleaning is a highly complicated process involving more than 500 steps and a crew of more than 20 engineers, technicians and support personnel. The procedure includes dismounting the 24-ton mirror from the telescope structure, lowering it five stories to the basement, mounting it on a washing frame and then washing the aluminum-coated, 20cm (8-inch) thick glass mirror to remove accumulated contaminants on the mirror surface.

18 Enero 2002: From high atop remote mountains in Chile and Hawaii, the Gemini Observatory gives astronomers access to the entire universe with twin state-of-the-art 8-meter telescopes. Today, Gemini South, the second of the Gemini telescopes to look skyward, was dedicated on its perch on Cerro Pachón in the Chilean Andes.

3 Diciembre 2001: On January 18, 2002, the Gemini Observatory will celebrate a significant milestone with the dedication of the Gemini South telescope facility at the summit of Cerro Pachón, Chile. National and international media invitations are still available and journalists can reserve space upon request.

20 Marzo 2000: After traveling in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, through the Panama Canal and up a steep, narrow mountain road to a remote peak in Chile, one of the world's largest astronomical telescope mirrors arrived safely at the Gemini South Observatory on March 17th, 2000. The mirror, which can collect more light than two million human eyes, is the heart of the Gemini South Telescope on Cerro Pachón, a mountain in central Chile. The telescope will soon join its identical twin, on Hawaii's Mauna Kea, to provide extremely high-resolution images of the universe.

18 Febrero 1998: AURA announced today that final polishing of the primary mirror for the northern hemisphere Gemini 8-Meter Telescope has achieved remarkable results. According to Larry Stepp, Gemini Optics Manager, "This mirror is the best mirror of its size ever polished." The Gemini 8-Meter Telescopes Project is an international partnership among the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Chile, Argentina, and Brazil to build two state-of-the-art 8-meter telescopes--one on Mauna Kea, Hawaii; the other on Cerro Pachon, Chile.

18 Febrero 1998: The Australian Academy of Science today welcomed the announcement by the Minister for Education, Dr. David Kemp, that Australia is to join the International Gemini Project now building two astronomical telescopes for optical and infrared wavelengths in Hawaii and Chile.

13 Febrero 1998: PPARC announced today that the first Director of the UK Astronomy Technology Centre in Edinburgh will be Dr Adrian Russell.

4 Febrero 1998: REOSC Optique has just completed acceptance testing of the first Gemini primary mirror, with excellent results. Larry Stepp witnessed the tests at REOSC from January 12-23, and was impressed by their thoroughness. The Gemini Project has benefited from REOSC's experience with the first three ESO VLT primary mirrors, but the Gemini specifications required additional tests beyond those required by ESO.

29 Agosto 1997: Dear Mr. Ramirez: With this message I acknowledge receipt of your e-mail informing the National Science Foundation, as Executive Agency for the Gemini Partnership, that CONICYT has met fully the conditions set by the Gemini Partner agencies for re-entry into the project, and done so within the allowed time.

24 Junio 1997: The groundbreaking ceremony for the Gemini North Telescope Base Facility will take place on June 24, 1997 at the University of Hawaii at Hilo University Park. The Base Facility will provide sea level operations support for the 8.1-meter Gemini telescope currently under construction atop Mauna Kea. The announcement of the groundbreaking ceremony was made by Dr. Matt Mountain, Director of the Gemini Project - an international partnership to build twin eight-meter telescopes, one on Mauna Kea, Hawaii and one on Cerro Pachon, Chile.

9 Mayo 1997: On May 13, 1997, one of the largest glass objects ever created, the GEMINI II telescope mirror blank, will leave Corning's Canton, N.Y. plant as it makes its way to the port of Ogdensburg for a transatlantic voyage to France for polishing.

8 Febrero 1996: The Gemini 8-meter Telescopes Project is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Fred Gillett as the Gemini Project Scientist.

30 Enero 1996: Fifty-five blocks of low-expansion ULE™ glass were successfully fused together at Corning's Canton, New York facility today to form the second Gemini primary mirror blank. The resulting blank is over 8.1 meters in diameter, 27 cm thick, and weighs approximately 32,000 kg. It is the second of two that Corning is fabricating for the Gemini 8-M Telescopes Project, and comes only three months after the delivery of the first Gemini mirror blank.

11 Octubre 1995: Corning Incorporated has completed the first of two 8.1-meter primary mirror blanks for the Gemini Project telescope. The Gemini project is an international partnership of the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Chile, Argentina, and Brazil.

30 Septiembre 1994: Ceremonies in 1994 October in both the northern and southern hemispheres will herald construction of the $176 million, 8.1-meter Gemini twin telescopes. Ground-breaking will take place October 6 for the northern telescope on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, followed by an October 22 inauguration for construction of the southern telescope in Cerro Pachon, Chile.