NSF NOIRLab

Seeing Double? 👀 No, you are not seeing double in this panorama of telescopes that make up the SMARTS (Small and Moderate Aperture Research Telescope System) Consortium at the NSF Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), a Program of NSF NOIRLab. Though they look similar from the outside, the SMARTS–GSU 0.9-meter Telescope (left) and the SMARTS–GSU 1.5-meter Telescope (right) have slightly different observing roles. Petr Horálek, the photographer, is a NOIRLab Audiovisual Ambassador. https://lnkd.in/dQ2DskFS 📷CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/P. Horálek (Institute of Physics in Opava)

🌌 What if YOU could help protect the night sky with just a smartphone? Astronomer Connie Walker shares how you can be part of the Globe at Night project—a global citizen science effort to measure light pollution from your own backyard. 📱🔭 It’s simple. It’s powerful. And it’s a beautiful way to reconnect with the stars above. 😉 Globe at Night is sponsored by NSF NOIRLab and DarkSky International. Check out their page for more ways to get involved this #DarkSkyWeek 🤩 #GlobeAtNight #CitizenScience #NOIRLab #LightPollutionAwareness

It’s Global Astronomy Month, and we’re launching 8 exclusive stickers to celebrate! 🌠 Next up: the SOAR Telescope, a part of Cerro Tololo Inter American Observatory, a Program of NSF NOIRLab. 🌌SOAR is one of only three telescopes on Cerro Pachón, so this new sticker is “SOAR-t” of a big deal! 💫🔭 Visit us at www.noirlab.edu/stickers to download your copy to use anywhere ✨ What telescope do you think we will announce next? Let us know in the comments! ⬇️ #GAM2025 #GlobalAstronomyMonth #Astronomy

For International Dark Sky Week here's a fun and simple way you can show your love and appreciation for the night! Step 1: On an 8.5x11 sheet of paper, print the “I 💜 Dark Skies” poster (attached). *Don't have a printer, no problem! You can create your own sign or take a video without it! Step 2: Record a short video (3 to 15 seconds) holding the sign and starting with the phrase: “I love…” then tell us why the night matters to you! Examples: “I love stargazing with my friends in Big Bend National Park.” “I love looking at distant planets through telescopes.” “I love hearing nocturnal animals in the forests around my home—especially the owls!” How to submit your video: Email it to engagement@darksky.org Or share it on Instagram by posting it and using the hashtags #DarkSky and #DarkSkyWeek At the end of the week, we’ll compile all the submissions into a special celebration video to showcase the global love for the night sky. Join in and help us make this International Dark Sky Week one to remember!

🦉Did you know that bright city lights confuse nocturnal animals? In this reel, astronomer Cinthya Rodriguez explains how light pollution doesn’t just affect our view of the stars—it may impact wildlife. From sea turtles to birds, many creatures rely on the natural rhythm of day and night. 🌍💡 #DarkSkyWeek #LightPollution #ProtectTheNight #NOIRLab #Stargazing

Dark Sky Week is here! 🔦✨ Ever wondered how light pollution really affects our view of the stars? Astronomer Cinthya Rodriguez is here with a super cool AstroBox demo to show you exactly what happens! This simple activity shows how we can use smart lighting to protect the night sky. #DarkSkyWeek #NOIRLab #LightPollution #astronomy

This column of red and purple light spouting from the clouds is so otherworldly, it looks like it must be a special effect. However, this breathtaking image is real 😲 – it is a lightning phenomenon known as a red sprite. Red sprites are distinctive because of their color and the direction in which they strike, measuring up to 90 kilometers above the cloud deck. It is extremely rare to catch one on camera. This image was captured in 2017 by a cloud camera at Gemini North, one half of the International Gemini Observatory, operated by NSF NOIRLab. Gemini North sits at an altitude of around 4200 meters (13,800 feet) on Maunakea in Hawai’i. 📷: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/A. Smith

"It’s Global Astronomy Month, and we’re launching 8 exclusive stickers to celebrate! 🌠 Sticker #4: the SMARTS Consortium at Cerro Tololo Inter American Observatory, a Program of NSF NOIRLab .The telescopes here don’t just make cute stickers– they can spot exoplanets around nearby stars AND monitor Near-Earth Asteroids to defend our planet 🌎☄️ Visit us at www.noirlab.edu/stickers to download your copy to use anywhere ✨ What telescope do you think we will announce next? Let us know in the comments! ⬇️ #GAM2025 #GlobalAstronomyMonth #Astronomy

An international team led by NSF NOIRLab astronomer Christina Williams has discovered the most distant spiral galaxy known to date! Named Zhúlóng, meaning ‘Torch Dragon’ 🐉 in Chinese mythology, this ultra-massive system existed just one billion years after the Big Bang, and yet it shows a surprisingly mature structure. Zhúlóng was discovered as part of the PANORAMIC Survey conducted on NASA's James Webb Telescope. Read more in the press release: https://lnkd.in/eurTpMhA

Could this photo be any better? 🥰 Star trails paint the sky above NSF-DOE Rubin Observatory in this long-exposure shot! While this photo captures minutes or hours, Rubin will #CaptureTheCosmos on a whole new level during its decade-long Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST)! Rubin will use a technique known as difference imaging: Rubin will image the southern sky every few nights. Scientists will stack these images into ultra-long exposures and create a template image of the southern sky. When this template is compared to individual images, scientists will be able to identify changes in the night sky, such as new supernovae or pulsations of stars. After 10 years and thousands of exposures, Rubin will produce an unprecedented ultra-wide, ultra-high-definition, time-lapse record of our Universe — the ultimate movie of the night sky with the largest digital camera ever built! 🍿🎥 📷: Rubin Obs./NOIRLab/SLAC/NSF/DOE/AURA/H. Stockebrand