A Dizzying Show by Comet NEOWISE
August 24, 2020
When Comet NEOWISE (C/2020 F3) sped through the inner Solar System during the middle of 2020, astronomers and the general...
Surprisingly Dense Exoplanet Challenges Planet Formation Theories
August 4, 2020
New detailed observations with NSF’s NOIRLab facilities reveal a young exoplanet, orbiting a young star in the Hyades cluster, that...
Gemini Observatory’s Quick Reflexes Capture Fleeting Flash
July 14, 2020
Rapid follow-up of the optical afterglow from one of the most distant confirmed short gamma-ray bursts (SGRB), thought to be...
Young Planets Bite the Dust
June 24, 2020
These orange swirls of dust are snapshots from the largest collection of sharp, detailed images of dusty debris disks around...
Gemini Gets Lucky and Takes a Deep Dive Into Jupiter’s Clouds
May 7, 2020
Researchers using a technique known as “lucky imaging” with the Gemini North telescope on Hawaii’s Maunakea have collected some of...
Cosmic Tempest
April 14, 2020
Researchers using the Gemini North telescope on Hawaiʻi’s Maunakea have detected the most energetic wind from any quasar ever measured....
Nighttime U.S. / International Astronomy Gets New Identity
April 3, 2020
NSF’s National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory, which in 2019 brought together NSF’s optical and infrared nighttime astronomy under one entity,...
Gemini Telescope Images “Minimoon” Orbiting Earth — in Color!
February 27, 2020
Astronomers using the international Gemini Observatory, on Hawaii’s Maunakea, have imaged a very small object in orbit around the Earth,...
Celestial Hourglass
February 20, 2020
The latest image from the international Gemini Observatory showcases the striking planetary nebula CVMP 1. This object is the result...
Love the stars? Astronomers have a unique suggestion for Valentine’s Day
February 11, 2020
Few sights are more romantic than a star-filled sky, but there are fewer and fewer places on Earth where we...
Fast Radio Burst Observations Deepen Astronomical Mystery
January 6, 2020
Observations with the 8-meter Gemini North telescope, a program of the NSF’s National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory, have allowed astronomers...
A Galactic Dance
December 19, 2019
Galaxies lead a graceful existence on cosmic timescales. Over millions of years, they can engage in elaborate dances that produce...
Two Ancient Migration Events in the Andromeda Galaxy
October 2, 2019
Astronomers have uncovered two historic events in which the Andromeda Galaxy underwent major changes to its structure. The findings shed...
NSF’s National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory Launched
October 1, 2019
On 1 October 2019, the nighttime astronomy facilities supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) transitioned to operating as one...
New Director of NSF’s National Optical-infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory
September 30, 2019
Vice President of the Giant Magellan Telescope project and Astronomer at the Carnegie Institution for Science, Patrick McCarthy, has been...
Record-Breaking Protocluster Takes Fast-track
September 26, 2019
The discovery of the most distant large-scale cluster of galaxies in the very young Universe has astronomers puzzling over how...
Gemini Observatory Captures Multicolor Image of First-ever Interstellar Comet
September 13, 2019
The first-ever comet from beyond our Solar System has been successfully imaged by the Gemini Observatory in multiple colors. The...
Exoplanets Can’t Hide Their Secrets from Innovative New Instrument
August 29, 2019
In an unprecedented feat, an American research team discovered hidden secrets of an elusive exoplanet using a powerful new instrument...
Total Annihilation for Supermassive Stars
August 15, 2019
A renegade star exploding in a distant galaxy has forced astronomers to set aside decades of research and focus on...
Cosmic Cat and Mouse
June 27, 2019
Gemini Observatory provides critical observations that confirm the distance to a mysterious, very short-lived, radio outburst from a galaxy billions...
The Formative Years
June 11, 2019
Based on preliminary results from a new Gemini Observatory survey of 531 stars with the Gemini Planet Imager (GPI), it...
Gemini Focuses on a Mid-sized Galactic Black Hole
June 6, 2019
An international team of researchers led by astronomer Jong-Hak Woo obtained deep spectroscopy from Gemini, combined with light echo measurements...
Neptune’s Moon Triton Fosters Rare Icy Union
May 19, 2019
Astronomers using the Gemini Observatory explore Neptune’s largest moon Triton and observe, for the first time beyond the lab, an...
Ultra-sharp Images Make Old Stars Look Absolutely Marvelous!
March 20, 2019
Using high-resolution adaptive optics imaging from the Gemini Observatory, astronomers have uncovered one of the oldest star clusters in the...
Cosmic Telescope Zooms in on the Beginning of Time
January 8, 2019
Observations from Gemini Observatory identify a key fingerprint of an extremely distant quasar, allowing astronomers to sample light emitted from...
Tiny Old Star Has Huge Impact
October 31, 2018
Astronomers use the Gemini Observatory to investigate a tiny star that is likely the oldest known star in the disk...
Gemini Observatory to Advance Adaptive Optics and Multi-messenger Astronomy with NSF Award
September 19, 2018
New funding from the National Science Foundation will enable the international Gemini Observatory to advance its position at the forefront...
Astronomers Blown Away by Historic Stellar Blast
August 1, 2018
Observations from the Gemini South and other telescopes in Chile played a critical role in understanding light echoes from a...
Republic of Korea Becomes a Full Participant in Gemini
July 23, 2018
An agreement between the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI) and the agencies that own and operate the International...
Gemini Observatory Cloud Camera Captures Volcano’s Dramatic Glow
May 21, 2018
A camera used at the Gemini North telescope to monitor sky conditions from Hawaii’s Maunakea captured a remarkable time-lapse sequence...