@NOIRLabAstro

@NSF NOIRLab is the preeminent US national center for ground-based, nighttime optical and infrared astronomy. Para español siga a @NOIRLabAstroES

noirlab.edu/public/
Joined September 2019
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We're at #DPS2026 this week! Come visit us with @VRubinObs in the exhibit hall to learn about planetary science using @KittPeakNatObs @cerrotololo @GeminiObs Rubin and more! Sarah Greenstreet can answer your questions! 📷 S. Greenstreet
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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/projects/…
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NOIRLab retweeted
NOIRLab@NOIRLabAstroMar 2
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
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The #AAS247 winter session is coming to a close after an engaging and astronomy-filled week. Thank you to @aas_office, our US Extremely Large Telescope Program partners, and all meeting participants. @giantmagellan @TMTHawaii @NOIRLabAstro
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We’re excited to be at #AAS247 in Phoenix with @aas_office! Stop by the US Extremely Large Telescope Program booth to pick up some astro swag and chat with our experts. @TMTHawaii @giantmagellan @NOIRLabAstro
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A moment we've all been waiting for.... NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory will be open for public visits starting in January 2026! Visits will be hosted by @NOIRLabAstro, and reservations are open now — book your spot at noirlab.edu/public/visits/ce…
Large boot-shaped observatory building with long white building pointed left and silver dome sticking up in an arid landscape under a clear blue sky. A bus is driving on a dirt road away from the observatory and toward the camera.

ALT Large boot-shaped observatory building with long white building pointed left and silver dome sticking up in an arid landscape under a clear blue sky. A bus is driving on a dirt road away from the observatory and toward the camera.

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The perfect way to end your day 😌🌅 Book one of our Nightly Observing Programs to experience gorgeous sunsets AND groundbreaking science ➡️ kpno.noirlab.edu/plan-your-v… 📷1) KPNO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/P. Horálek 📷2) KPNO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/L.L.Christensen
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It’s official, our panel "Revolutionizing Astronomy with Next Generation Big Data" has been accepted to @sxsw 2026! Thank you to everyone who supported our work! @UTAustin @TACC @UVA @NOIRLabAstro schedule.sxsw.com/events/PP1…

SXSW 2027 Schedule

Browse events, build your schedule, and get personalized recommendations for the 2027 SXSW Conference & Festivals from March 15–21, 2027 in Austin, TX.

schedule.sxsw.com
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How do Rubin alerts work? 🌌📲 Think of Rubin Observatory as a friend constantly scrolling through the Universe’s social media feed. Every minute, they refresh and see what’s new — an asteroid has moved, a star has changed in brightness...or maybe even exploded in a supernova.
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NOIRLab is helping to organize efforts to mitigate the impact of satellite constellations on astronomical research. Numerous satellites 🛰️ cross the night sky in this timelapse captured at NSF Kitt Peak National Observatory in June 2025. 📷: KPNO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/R.T. Sparks
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Family-friendly price alert! 🚨 Book any daytime tour at Kitt Peak and kids 13-and-under get in free! The offer was extended to last all of September 👉 ow.ly/anGl50X01CR
Panorama of Kitt Peak National Observatory with the WIYN 3.5-meter Telescope in the middle. Credit: KPNO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/J. Lockridge

ALT Panorama of Kitt Peak National Observatory with the WIYN 3.5-meter Telescope in the middle. Credit: KPNO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/J. Lockridge

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Come enjoy cooler temperatures & even cooler telescopes at Kitt Peak 🤗 Our staff member Reynese Maldonado is excited to welcome visitors to cool off on the mountain into September. Kids 13 & under get in FREE on daytime tours all month 👉 ow.ly/40V350WWIEh
Kitt Peak Visitor Center staff member Reynese Maldonado is excited to welcome visitors to cool off on the mountain into September. Reynese stands in front of the Kitt Peak telescopes with a printout that reads "20 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than Tucson". Credit P.McMahon/NSF NOIRLab.

ALT Kitt Peak Visitor Center staff member Reynese Maldonado is excited to welcome visitors to cool off on the mountain into September. Reynese stands in front of the Kitt Peak telescopes with a printout that reads "20 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than Tucson". Credit P.McMahon/NSF NOIRLab.

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Kitt Peak National Observatory wins the @Tripadvisor #TravelersChoice 2025 award! 🙌 Your reviews place us in the top 10% listings worldwide. Thank you! 🙏 And thanks to our team for their commitment to making visiting Kitt Peak an experience to remember! 👏
Star trails circle and illuminate the night sky in this long-exposure photo of Kitt Peak National Observatory. An overlay text reads: Tripadvisor Travelers' Choice Awards. A green Tripadvisor logo is present on the lower left side, including the year 2025. Background image credit: KPNO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA

ALT Star trails circle and illuminate the night sky in this long-exposure photo of Kitt Peak National Observatory. An overlay text reads: Tripadvisor Travelers' Choice Awards. A green Tripadvisor logo is present on the lower left side, including the year 2025. Background image credit: KPNO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA

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This bodes well for astronomers keen to see the emergence of long, well-defined cometary tails as 3I/ATLAS shimmies towards its closest approach to the Sun. @NOIRLabAstro sciencealert.com/images-show…
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Milky Way timelapse from Cerro Tololo Inter-American Astronomical Observatory (CTIO) @doescience @VRubinObs @NOIRLabAstro @NOIRLabAstroES @NOIRLabScience @GeminiObs @ACEAPAmbassador @NSF
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#ICYMI, Betelgeuse has a dance partner! Astronomers have long suspected that the 10th brightest star in our sky had a companion, and a @NASAAmes scientist finally spotted it using @NOIRLabAstro’s Gemini North telescope in Hawaii and a @NASA-built camera: go.nasa.gov/4oiFJ8d
The constellation Orion sparkles amidst a densely packed starfield. The stars in Orion glow in light blue, with sparse red clouds extending from the upper right to lower left of the constellation. An inset box in the upper left of the image shows a zoomed-in view of a bright yellow star on Orion’s shoulder. Within the inset image, against a black background, a bright orange-yellow star is labeled “Betelgeuse” and a faint blue blob to the left of it is labeled “Companion.” The image is watermarked “Data: NASA/JPL/NOIRLab” and “Visualization: NOIRLab/Eckhard Slawik.”

ALT The constellation Orion sparkles amidst a densely packed starfield. The stars in Orion glow in light blue, with sparse red clouds extending from the upper right to lower left of the constellation. An inset box in the upper left of the image shows a zoomed-in view of a bright yellow star on Orion’s shoulder. Within the inset image, against a black background, a bright orange-yellow star is labeled “Betelgeuse” and a faint blue blob to the left of it is labeled “Companion.” The image is watermarked “Data: NASA/JPL/NOIRLab” and “Visualization: NOIRLab/Eckhard Slawik.”

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How did we build the world’s largest digital camera? 📷 Lead mechanical engineer for camera integration and testing, Travis Lange, explains as we pivot to operations at the NSF-DOE @VRubinObs. Hear the upcoming #SLACPublicLecture August 7 at 7 p.m. PDT stanford.io/4kSvhRT
Promotional poster for a lecture titled "How We Built the World's Largest Digital Camera," featuring various images of scientists constructing the camera and components in a high-tech facility, arranged in the shape of its focal plane. Credit: Greg Stewart/SLAC

ALT Promotional poster for a lecture titled "How We Built the World's Largest Digital Camera," featuring various images of scientists constructing the camera and components in a high-tech facility, arranged in the shape of its focal plane. Credit: Greg Stewart/SLAC

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The Cerro Tololo Inter-American Astronomical Observatory (CTIO) is located on the summit of Mt. Cerro Tololo in Chile. The principal telescope at CTIO is the 4 m Víctor Blanco. @doescience @VRubinObs @NOIRLabAstro @NOIRLabAstroES @NOIRLabScience @GeminiObs @ACEAPAmbassador @NSF
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Las Cumbres Observatory (LCO) is a network of astronomical observatories. Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO). Chile. @doescience @VRubinObs @NOIRLabAstro @NOIRLabAstroES @NOIRLabScience @GeminiObs @ACEAPAmbassador @NSF
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Did someone say #NationalCameraDay? 📷 We wanted to celebrate ours by creating a giant 3200-megapixel group photo inspired by our LSST Camera...and here it is, featuring many of YOU! Grab this epic group photo at rubinobservatory.org/gallery 🤳 @SLAClab @noirlabastro
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