Tag Archive for 'Gemini North Observatory'

This artist’s impression shows a field of Population III stars as they would have appeared a mere 100 million years after the Big Bang. Image credit: NOIRLab / NSF / AURA / J. da Silva / Spaceengine.

Astronomers May Have Spotted Traces of Material from Explosion of First-Generation Star

Sep 28, 2022 by News Staff

The very first stars likely formed when the Universe was only 100 million years old. Known as Population III stars, these stellar objects were so massive...

This image from the Gemini North telescope shows a pair of interacting spiral galaxies: NGC 4568 (bottom) and NGC 4567 (top). Image credit: International Gemini Observatory / NOIRLab / NSF / AURA / T.A. Rector, University of Alaska Anchorage & NSF’s NOIRLab / J. Miller, Gemini Observatory & NSF’s NOIRLab / M. Zamani, NSF’s NOIRLab / D. de Martin, NSF’s NOIRLab.

Astronomers Capture Ongoing Collision of Two Spiral Galaxies

Aug 9, 2022 by News Staff

Astronomers using the Gemini North telescope, one of the twin telescopes of the International Gemini Observatory, have captured a stunning image of a pair...

This image shows the ultra-faint dwarf galaxy Pegasus V (center). Image credit: International Gemini Observatory / NOIRLab / NSF / AURA / T.A. Rector, University of Alaska Anchorage & NSF’s NOIRLab / M. Zamani, NSF’s NOIRLab / D. de Martin, NSF’s NOIRLab.

Pegasus V: New Ultra-Faint Dwarf Galaxy Spotted in Outskirts of Andromeda

Jul 1, 2022 by News Staff

Astronomers have discovered a new ultra-faint dwarf galaxy in the constellation of Pegasus and characterized it using deep imaging with the Gemini Multi-Object...

This diagram shows three layers of aerosols in the atmospheres of Uranus and Neptune. The height scale on the diagram represents the pressure above 10 bar. The deepest layer (Aerosol-1 layer) is thick and composed of a mixture of hydrogen sulfide ice and particles produced by the interaction of the planets’ atmospheres with sunlight. The key layer that affects the colors is the middle layer, which is a layer of haze particles (Aerosol-2 layer) that is thicker on Uranus than on Neptune. Irwin et al. suspect that, on both planets, methane ice condenses onto the particles in this layer, pulling the particles deeper into the atmosphere in a shower of methane snow. Because Neptune has a more active, turbulent atmosphere than Uranus does, the team believes Neptune’s atmosphere is more efficient at churning up methane particles into the haze layer and producing this snow. This removes more of the haze and keeps Neptune’s haze layer thinner than it is on Uranus, meaning the blue color of Neptune looks stronger. Above both of these layers is an extended layer of haze (Aerosol-3 layer) similar to the layer below it but more tenuous. On Neptune, large methane ice particles also form above this layer. Image credit: Gemini Observatory / NOIRLab / NSF / AURA / J. da Silva / NASA / JPL-Caltech / B. Jónsson.

Haze Layers are Responsible for Different Blue Hues of Neptune and Uranus, Scientists Say

Jun 1, 2022 by News Staff

An international team of planetary researchers led by University of Oxford scientists has performed an analysis of visible/near-infrared observations of...

The overdeveloped spiral arm of the galaxy NGC 772 dominates this image from the Gemini North telescope. Image credit: Gemini Observatory / NOIRLab / NSF / AURA / T.A. Rector, University of Alaska Anchorage / J. Miller, Gemini Observatory & NSF’s NOIRLab / M. Zamani / D. de Martin.

Gemini Focuses on NGC 772’s Overdeveloped Spiral Arm

Mar 23, 2022 by Enrico de Lazaro

Astronomers using the Gemini North telescope have captured this vivid image of the strangely lopsided spiral galaxy NGC 772. The overdeveloped spiral arm...

This illustration shows a night-side view of the exoplanet WASP-76b. To the left of the image, we see the evening border of the exoplanet, where it transitions from day to night. Image credit: M. Kornmesser / ESO.

Ionized Calcium Detected in Exotic Atmosphere of WASP-76b

Oct 6, 2021 by News Staff

Using high-resolution spectra obtained with GRACES at the Gemini North Observatory, astronomers have detected ionized calcium in the atmosphere of the...