Big Astronomy Planetarium Program and Online Activities Go Live!

Big Astronomy or Astronomia a Gran Escala is a bilingual planetarium show that extends beyond the dome using web-based and hands-on resources. In Big Astronomy, discover Chile’s grand observatories and meet the people who push the limits of...
22-Sep-2020 2:25 PM EDT Add to Favorites

A White Dwarf’s Surprise Planetary Companion

For the first time, an intact, giant exoplanet has been discovered orbiting close to a white dwarf star. This discovery shows that it is possible for Jupiter-sized planets to survive their star’s demise and settle into close orbits around the...
16-Sep-2020 11:05 AM EDT Add to Favorites

NSO Astronomers to play key role in two new spacecraft mission concept studies

Astronomers from NSF’s National Solar Observatory (NSO) will play important roles in two of five concept studies recently announced by NASA. These five endeavors have each been granted $1.25 million by the Heliophysics division of NASA to...
10-Sep-2020 2:45 PM EDT Add to Favorites

A Dizzying Show by Comet NEOWISE

When Comet NEOWISE (C/2020 F3) sped through the inner Solar System during the middle of 2020, astronomers and the general public watched in awe as this “dirty snowball” shed gas and dust into space, producing a striking show visible to the naked...
24-Aug-2020 7:15 PM EDT Add to Favorites

Cool New Worlds Found in Our Cosmic Backyard

How complete is our census of the Sun’s closest neighbors? Astronomers using NSF’s NOIRLab facilities and a team of data-sleuthing volunteers participating in Backyard Worlds: Planet 9, a citizen science project, have discovered roughly 100 cool...
18-Aug-2020 11:05 AM EDT Add to Favorites

Astronomers Sink Their Teeth Into Special Supernova

Astronomers using several telescopes at NOIRLab, including the Southern Astrophysical Research (SOAR) Telescope, have obtained critical data on a particular type of exploding star that produces copious amounts of calcium. The calcium produced in...
5-Aug-2020 2:35 PM EDT Add to Favorites

Surprisingly Dense Exoplanet Challenges Planet Formation Theories

New detailed observations with NSF’s NOIRLab facilities reveal a young exoplanet, orbiting a young star in the Hyades cluster, that is unusually dense for its size and age. Weighing in at 25 Earth-masses, and slightly smaller than Neptune, this...
4-Aug-2020 5:15 PM EDT Add to Favorites

Dr. Thomas Rimmele, Director of NSF’s Inouye Solar Telescope, Named One of Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business

Dr. Thomas Rimmele from the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) National Solar Observatory joins the 11th annual list of awardees from such companies as Netflix, Google, and Patagonia, as well as institutions such as Johns Hopkins University and...
4-Aug-2020 3:10 PM EDT Add to Favorites

See All News