NOIRLab Science

International @geminiobs data are helping uncover the hidden lives of massive stars 👻✨Using GHOST observations in the Large Magellanic Cloud, astronomers found that true luminous blue variable (LBV) phases may last only ~1,000 years — far shorter than previously thought 🔭 👇

NSF's @NOIRLabAstro new publication The Scope brings the Universe to life with stunning visuals, deep-space discoveries, and the people building humanity’s next era of exploration. Science communication at cosmic scale 🔭✨ noirlab.edu/public/product…

The International @Geminiobs GMOS longslit reduced data products are now available🔭📦 Fully processed spectra are on the GOA Archive after they are taken, accelerating science and reducing time spent on data reduction. More science, less pipeline wrangling ✨

The Universe is open access 🌌 NSF's @NOIRLabastro Data Archive gives researchers and the public access to decades of observations from 40+ telescope & instrument combinations — including survey data, reduced images, and massive sky catalogs. Astronomy at petabyte scale 🔭✨

🔭 Planning a trigger at @GeminiObs? Want to check available instruments and get a quick look at current conditions? 👀 Take a peek at the Gemini North & South Status pages before you go! 🔗 noirlab.edu/science/progra… Stay ready, stay informed. 🌌 @NOIRLabScience

Astronomy is entering real-time mode ⚡🔭 NSF's @noirlabastro AEON connects major observatories into one automated system that can react to triggers within minutes — from supernovae to neutron star mergers. Built for the NSF-DOE @VRubinObs era 🌌 noirlab.edu/public/project…

The spectrum of the binary star system Eta Carinae is seen here like a rainbow, stretching from ultraviolet to infrared. Spectra like this can tell scientists detailed information about an object’s chemical composition, motion, rotation & distance. 📷: CTIO/NOIRLab/SOAR/NSF/AURA

Are you dizzy yet? 😵‍💫 Star trails in this extra-long-exposure image of NSF–DOE @VRubinObs capture the apparent motion of the stars. Rubin will observe about 17 billion stars during its 10-year survey. 📸 NSF-DOE @VRubinObs/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA/H. Stockebrand

A huge recognition for NSF–DOE @VRubinObs! Tony Tyson—Founding Director of the @VRubinObs—is on the @TIME 100 list for 2026 🎉 Shaping the future of time-domain astronomy. noirlab.edu/public/announc…

Got a wild transient that won’t wait for TACs? 👀 The International @GeminiObs DD Initiatives are taking shape—120 hrs for rapid, high-risk follow-up in the NSF-DOE @VRubinObs era. This is where unexpected science happens. 🌌 Read more: 🔗 gemini.edu/observing/phas…

Crepuscular rays are seen here at dusk over the Gemini South telescope, one half of the International Gemini Observatory, operated by NSF NOIRLab. 📷: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/P. Horálek

Korea’s @KASI_NEWS KS4 southern-sky survey goes global 📷📷 Now accessible via NSF @NOIRLabAstro Data Lab at datalab.noirlab.edu, bringing deep, uniform imaging to astronomers everywhere—fueling discovery in the era of big-data astronomy

Introducing The Scope: NSF NOIRLab’s NEWEST publication! The Scope illuminates the possibilities for early-career professionals looking to work in astronomy and shows the passion behind scientific research. Read here 🔗 bit.ly/4tiFOdv

A massive galaxy just ~2 billion years after the Big Bang shows no rotation—something usually seen only in evolved systems. Thanks to @NASAwebb incl. NSF's @NOIRLabAstro authors, this discovery is challenging standard models of galaxy evolution. More ucdavis.edu/news/non-rotat…

📢 Fast Turnaround CFP now open! Got a time-sensitive science case? Apply for fast turnaround time at the International @GeminiObs with quick review + scheduling. 🔭⚡ gemini.edu/observing/phas…

Across April at the International @GeminiObs, we used our visiting instruments `Alopeke🦊, Maroon-X, and Zorro🦊 taking a combined total of 4286 images 📸. See our visiting instrument program here- gemini.edu/instrumentatio…

How useful is poor-weather time at International @GeminiObs? See it in a new paper using it's near-infrared spectrograph IGRINS in mostly poor-weather time to produce a high-resolution spectra of massive stars ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2026arXiv2… 🌟🌟🌟