Gemini News Archive
Revolutionary Instrument Delivers a Sharper Universe to Astronomers
Press Release | 2013 July 2
A unique new instrument, called GeMS, at Gemini South in Chile takes the removal of atmospheric distortions (using adaptive optics technology) to a new level. Today’s release of seven ultrasharp, large-field images from the instrument’s first science observations demonstrate its remarkable discovery potential.
Gas-Giant Exoplanets Cling Close to Their Parent Stars
Press Release | 2013 June 27
Gemini Observatory’s Planet-Finding Campaign finds that, around many types of stars, distant gas-giant planets are rare and prefer to cling close to their parent stars. The impact on theories of planetary formation could be significant.
Gemini Observatory Captures Comet ISON Hurtling Toward Uncertain Destiny with the Sun
Press Release | 2013 May 29
A new series of images from Gemini Observatory shows Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) racing toward an uncomfortably close rendezvous with the Sun. In late November the comet could present a stunning sight in the twilight sky and remain easily visible into early December of this year.
Gemini Arrives Early to the Scene of “Shockingly Bright” Gamma-ray Burst
Web Feature | 2013 May 13
Captured within 90 minutes of detection by both Fermi’s Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) and NASA’s Swift satellite, Gemini’s spectrum of the GRB 130427A surrendered a critical parameter: its distance, using Gemini’s rapid response Target of Opportunity protocols.
Now Quarterly, April Issue of GeminiFocus Available
Web Feature | 2013 April 9
The Gemini Observatory newsletter, GeminiFocus, is now quarterly and available as both a downloadable PDF and in an on-line e-reader format compatible with desktop browsers, tablets, e-readers, and smart phones.
Searching for the True Colors of M87's Globular Clusters
Web Feature | 2013 March 28
Juan Carlos Forte (Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Argentina) and colleagues observed over 500 globular clusters of the giant elliptical galaxy M87 (also known as NGC 4486) and conclude that their chemical abundance distribution is genuinely bimodal
The Journey Continues…
Web Feature | 2013 March 14
Now in its ninth year, JttU wraps up its annual “Journey Week” on March 15th. During this week Gemini staff joined over 50 other scientists, researchers, and educators in 350 classrooms and almost 8000 students across East Hawai‘i.
GEMINI CONFIRMS THE CLOSEST STAR SYSTEM FOUND IN A CENTURY
Press Release | 2013 March 8
A pair of newly discovered stars is the third-closest star system to the Sun, according to a paper that will be published in Astrophysical Journal Letters. The duo is the closest star system discovered since 1916.
Surprising Results From the Earliest Near-Infrared Spectroscopy of a Type Ia Supernova
Web Feature | 2013 February 14
Gemini Near-Infrared Spectrograph (GNIRS) observations lead to surprising results on the nature of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia). Time-series near-infrared spectra of SN 2011fe hint that more SNe Ia harbor unprocessed carbon than previously believed, and what we thought was the main driver of the luminosity-decline rate Phillips relation may not be correct.
Australian Student “Thinks Big” for Imaging Contest
Web Feature | 2013 February 13
On February 12, 2013 Australian High School Senior Ryan Soares had stars in his eyes during a ceremony celebrating his winning selection for the 2012 Australian Gemini Schools Imaging contest.
Intermediate Redshift Clusters Shed Light on Galaxy Evolution
Web Feature | 2013 February 1
Gemini astronomers Inger Jørgensen and Kristin Chiboucas have shed new on galaxy evolution: the mass to light ratios of the galaxies indicate that low-mass galaxies have experienced more recent star formation than high-mass galaxies.
NEXT-GENERATION ADAPTIVE OPTICS BRINGS REMARKABLE DETAILS TO LIGHT IN STELLAR NURSERY
Press Release | 2013 January 8
A new image released today reveals how Gemini Observatory's most advanced adaptive optics (AO) system will help astronomers study the universe with an unprecedented level of clarity and detail by removing distortions due to the Earth’s atmosphere
Gemini Observatory Announces 2013 Board of Directors
Web Feature | 2013 January 3
The Gemini Observatory Board of Directors opens 2013 with new leadership and a number of membership changes. The changes reflect regular term expirations as well as the departure of the United Kingdom from the partnership and subsequent adjustments to partner shares.
"All-Clear" Asteroid Will Miss Earth in 2040
Press Release | 2012 December 21
Potential asteroid collision in 2040 is a non-threat based on new Gemini Observatory data.
Looking Ahead: Gemini’s Partnership Beyond 2015
Web Feature | 2012 December 7
A recent milestone for the Gemini Observatory sees the observatory moving forward until the end of this decade with its strong international partnership intact.
“Green-bean Galaxies” and the Demise of Quasars
Web Feature | 2012 November 30
A team of astronomers has discovered a spectacular and very rare phenomenon in galaxies. It is interpreted as a light echo from an earlier, very active, quasar phase that has since shut down. Thus they appear green in some datasets giving them the colorful moniker “green-bean galaxies.”
Probing the Atmosphere of an Extrasolar Planet with Gemini South
Web Feature | 2012 November 19
A group of British astronomers, led by Neale P. Gibson of the University of Oxford, used the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS) to probe the atmosphere of a transiting extrasolar planet identified as WASP-29b.
Gemini and Subaru Telescopes Expand International Collaboration
Web Feature | 2012 November 2
The new time exchange agreement between Gemini and Subaru makes the entire suite of instrumentation available at each observatory open to any astronomer in the countries of the U.S., Japan, Canada, Australia, Brazil, Argentina, and Chile.
Poetry in Motion: Rare Polar-Ring Galaxy Captured in New Image
Press Release | 2012 October 17
This new Gemini Legacy image captured the colorful and dramatic tale of a life-and-death struggle between two galaxies interacting.
Sharpest-ever Ground-based Images of Pluto and Charon: Proves a Powerful Tool for Exoplanet Discoveries
Press Release | 2012 September 25
Using a method called reconstructive speckle imaging, the researchers took the sharpest ground-based snapshots ever obtained of Pluto and Charon in visible light, which hint at the exoplanet verification power of Gemini telescopes when combined with speckle imaging techniques.
