NOIRLab

The NSF–DOE @VRubinObs has released its 1st alerts of detected changes in the night sky, including new asteroids & exploding stars! This is the start of a system expected to generate up to 7M alerts per night🚨 🔗 ow.ly/EFxH50Ym1I7 📹 NSF–DOE @VRubinObs/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA

Derek Zoolander would be proud 👀 Who’s serving the best Blue Steel look? 📹 T. Lange (SLAC)

Not-So-Quiet Night at NSF–DOE @VRubinObs 🤫❌ This image was captured during Rubin’s First Look observing run in April 2025. Staff bustled with excitement as the Simonyi Survey Telescope points to the sky! 📸: NSF–DOE @VRubinObs/NOIRLab/SLAC/NSF/DOE/AURA/P. Horálek

🌄 Join the team at @KittPeakNatObs! The Kitt Peak Visitor Center & Gift Shop is looking for a Customer Service Representative (Cashier) to help welcome visitors from around the . This position is part-time with hours that vary seasonally. Apply here: ow.ly/Z1XY50YvvrJ

Curious what it’s like at Cerro Pachón? ⛰️🔭 In this video, you can see the @Geminiobs South Telescope and the SOAR Telescope, both operated by NSF NOIRLab, surrounded by the vast mountains of northern Chile. 📹NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/T. Matsopoulos

🚨Astronomers have discovered the clearest example yet of a star chemically enriched by the first stars in the Universe! This star, named PicII-503, resides in the ultra-faint dwarf galaxy Pictor II. noirlab.edu/public/news/no… 📷 CTIO/NOIRLab/DOE/NSF/AURA

Happy Pi day! The twin Gemini telescope mirrors have diameters of 8.1 meters. Using A = π x radius^2 and subtracting the central hole, you can calculate a surface area of about 50.4 square meters. #PiDay 📷: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/AURA/NSF/M. Paredes

Galactic vibes only ✨ NGC 1515 is seen here serving up some spiral realness from 55 million light-years away. The galaxy is joined by NGC 1515A to its upper-right, and PGC423162 to the upper-left. 📷: Dark Energy Survey/DOE/FNAL/DECam/CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA

Scientists don’t read millions of NSF-DOE @VRubinObs alerts one by one. The data stream flows into alert brokers, which filter, classify, and organize the alerts in real time. Researchers subscribe to exactly what they care about. 📷NSF–DOE @VRubinObs/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA/B. Quint

The longer you look at this scene from Cerro Pachón, the more you’ll spot! The road leads you straight to the world-renowned Gemini South telescope, one half of the @GeminiObs, supported in part by the @NSF and operated by NSF NOIRLab. 📷:@GeminiObs/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/P. Horálek

🌙✨ How dark is your night sky? This March, join the global @GlobeatNight campaign and help measure light pollution around the world. 🌍 It only takes a few minutes, but your observation can make a real difference! Get started: globatnight.org

🚨🔭 First Rubin alerts… followed up by @NOIRLabastro! For the first time, NSF NOIRLab has successfully demonstrated its end-to-end system for rapid follow-up observations triggered by alerts from the NSF–DOE @VRubinObs. Read more: noirlab.edu/public/es/news…

We are inviting applications for two postdoctoral positions at the 4m SOAR Telescope on Cerro Pachón, Chile 🇨🇱 📢 Highly qualified Brazilian astronomers are especially encouraged to apply. Details and how to apply: ow.ly/GqTt50Yoihm 📍 Based in La Serena, Chile

In this timelapse video, @Geminiobs North creates artificial guide stars above Earth. By tracking how those stars shimmer, the telescope’s adaptive optics system adjusts its mirrors to cancel it out in real time. 🎥: NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/T. Matsopoulos

Also known as M42, the majestic Orion Nebula lies ~1500 light-years away in Orion’s sword. Bright enough to spot with binoculars, it’s a glowing stellar nursery where new stars are born. 📸 KPNO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/Ryan Steinberg and Family/Adam Block

Today, the NSF Nicholas U. Mayall 4-meter Telescope hosts the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI), the most powerful multi-object survey spectrograph in the world. We’re throwing it back this Thursday to moments from the Mayall’s rich history at NSF @KittPeakNatObs.

🌕🔴 A “Blood Moon” In the early morning hours of 3 March 2026, a total lunar eclipse transformed the sky. This composite image captures the progression of the eclipse as seen from @KittPeakNatObs. 📷: KPNO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/P. Horálek

NSF NOIRLab is organizing a community conference between 20–24 April in Tucson. Join discussions on science enabled by DESI, LSST, Gemini & more, including AI/ML, advanced computing, and data-driven discovery. 👉 Register bit.ly/3OZkvit

@GlobeatNight turns 20 years! 🌌🎉 And what better gift than a short video showing your love for dark skies? To celebrate, we’re inviting you to send us a short video sharing why dark skies matter to you 🌍✨ 🎥 How to participate: globeatnight.org/love-your-star…

On Marc h3rd, a total lunar eclipse will be visible over NOIRLab sites‼️🌕This composite photo from Feb 13th, 2018, shows the enchanting stages of a lunar eclipse over NSF @KittPeakNatObs with the WIYN 0.9-meter Telescope in the foreground. 📷KPNO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/P. Marenfeld