Twin Galaxies in a Gravitational Embrace
June 26, 2008
In what appears to be a masterful illusion, astronomers at Gemini Observatory have imaged two nearly identical spiral galaxies in...
Catching the Light of a Baby Supernova
May 21, 2008
Astronomers have observed the aftermath of spectacular stellar explosions known as supernovae before, but until now no one has witnessed...
Spectacular Star Cluster May Host Black Hole Missing Link
April 2, 2008
The well-known naked-eye star cluster Omega Centauri may be home to an elusive intermediate-mass black hole. Observations made using Gemini...
Supernova Remnants Dance in the LMC
January 8, 2008
The Gemini South Multi-Object Spectograph (GMOS) recently captured a dramatic image of a vast cloud complex named DEM L316 located...
Odd Little Star has Magnetic Personality
November 28, 2007
A dwarf star with a surprisingly magnetic personality and a huge hot spot covering half its surface area is showing...
Astronomers Spot Evidence for Colliding Planet Embryos in Famous Star Cluster
November 14, 2007
Astronomers have found evidence for the formation of young rocky planets around the star HD 23514 located in the well-known...
Charon: An Ice Machine in the Ultimate Deep Freeze
July 17, 2007
Frigid geysers spewing material up through cracks in the crust of Pluto’s companion Charon and recoating parts of its surface...
Discovery Narrows the Gap Between Planets and Brown Dwarfs
May 30, 2007
The coolest-known star-like object beyond the solar system is giving astronomers a new look at the differences between massive planets...
Featherweight Celestial Pair Has Uncertain Future Together
April 4, 2007
Astronomers have serendipitously discovered a record-breaking pair of low-mass objects with an extreme orbital separation. The petite objects, each of...
The Delicate Trails of Star Birth
March 22, 2007
An image released today by the Gemini Observatory brings into focus a new and remarkably detailed view of supersonic "bullets"...
Some Rare Abnormal Stars may have White Dwarf Parents to Blame
January 8, 2007
Astronomers have announced the discovery of huge quantities of an unusual variety of oxygen in two very rare types of...
Small Warm Doughnut Feeds Theories of Extragalactic Black Holes
January 8, 2007
Fundamental to theories describing active galactic nuclei (AGN) is the prediction that a doughnut-shaped ring of material (a torus) surrounds...
Gemini Captures Close Encounter of Jupiter's Red Spots
July 19, 2006
A high-resolution image released today by the Gemini Observatory shows Jupiter's two giant red spots brushing past one another in...
The Early Universe Is Dusty, And Astronomers Finally Know Why
June 7, 2006
Massive star supernovae have been major "dust factories" ever since the first generations of stars formed several hundred million years...
Gemini Probes The Center Of Andromeda Galaxy With Unprecedented Clarity
June 4, 2006
These results were announced by two teams of researchers during a press conference at the meeting that also included the...
A Tale of Two Nebulae
June 3, 2006
Two new images from Gemini Observatory released today at the American Astronomical Society meeting in Calgary, Canada, show a pair...
Companion Explains "Chameleon" Supernova
May 2, 2006
Using the Gemini South telescope in Chile, Australian astronomers have found a predicted "companion" star left behind when its partner...
Gemini Images a "Shocking" Skull of Gas
April 6, 2006
A new Gemini Observatory image of NGC 246, nicknamed the "Skull Nebula," shows what can happen as the outer atmosphere...
Exploring the Inner Sanctum of the Supermassive Black Hole in NGC1097
January 3, 2006
The active galaxy NGC 1097 located about 47 million light-years away.
Gemini Looks Down the Mouth of an Interstellar Cavern
January 3, 2006
A storm of billowing clouds blown by the winds from massive stars, and set aglow by their light, is the...
Cracks or Cryovolcanoes?
October 20, 2005
Like the little engine that could, geologic activity on the surface of Saturn's moon Titan–maybe outgassing cracks and perhaps icy...
Mauna Kea Giants Find Common Nursery for Comets
September 15, 2005
When NASA’s Deep Impact mission ploughed into comet 9P/Tempel 1 on July 4th of this year, the giant telescopes on...
Dusty Old Star Offers Window to Our Future, Astronomers Report
September 8, 2005
Astronomers have glimpsed dusty debris around an essentially dead star where gravity and radiation should have long ago removed any...
A Chinese Dragon and a Knotted Galactic Embrace
August 26, 2005
The Gemini Observatory released a pair of images today that capture the dynamics of two very different interactions in space....
Gemini Uncovers 'Lost City' of Stars
August 10, 2005
Like archaeologists unearthing a 'lost city,' astronomers using the 8-meter Gemini South telescope have revealed that the galaxy NGC 300...
Gemini Observatory Shows That "10th Planet" Has a Pluto-Like Surface
July 29, 2005
Gemini Observatory has obtained a preliminary spectrum of 2003 UB313, the so-called "10th planet". These observations were obtained on January...
Dustiest Star Could Harbor a Young Earth
July 20, 2005
A relatively young star located about 300 light-years away is greatly improving our understanding of the formation of Earth-like planets.
Amateur Astronomers Travel Deep Into Stellar Cocoon Using Gemini
May 17, 2005
Using a giant telescope on Mauna Kea Hawaii is a dream for most amateur sky watchers. Recently a Canadian amateur...
Background Information: Laser Guide Stars
April 28, 2005
LGS lasers have a total power output that is less than a refrigerator light bulb; Laser Guide Stars on Mauna...
Dusting for Clues: Gemini Discovers Evidence for Colliding Bodies in Planet Forming Disk
January 13, 2005
Astronomers using the Gemini South 8-meter telescope in Chile have observed new details in the dusty disk surrounding the nearby...