NOIRLab

NSF–DOE @VRubinObs Discovers New Dwarf Planet Candidate in Our Solar System The candidate, provisionally designated 2026 ED138, was found by scientists working to improve Rubin's algorithms that search for distant moving objects in our Solar System. 🔗 ow.ly/geta5101uaH

🌆🔭 Spot the telescope! This view of Tucson, Arizona, was captured after sunset from Windy Point Vista, about 60 miles (97 km) away from NSF @KittPeakNatObs. 📷 H. Stockebrand/KPNO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA

🔭 A day of astronomy and plenty of ʻohana! Staff from the @GeminiObs joined the other @maunakeaobs for the 9th annual AstroDay in Kona, Hawaiʻi. Mahalo to everyone who stopped by and celebrated the wonders of astronomy with us! Credit: @GeminiObs/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA

Astronomers Discover the Oldest Compact Quasar Pair in the Universe Nāpōwawāʻenakaulua’s surprising nature was revealed through observations with @Geminiobs North telescope and the @NASAWebb. 🔗 ow.ly/hau75105y9k 📷: @GeminiObs/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/P. Marenfeld/M. Zamani

Some stars just don't know how to make a quiet exit. 💥 11,000 years ago, a star in Vela exploded, leaving huge filaments of debris. This 1.3-billion-pixel view was captured by DECam on the Blanco Telescope. 📷: CTIO/NOIRLab/DOE/NSF/AURA/T.A. Rector, M. Zamani & D. de Martin

This time-lapse shows the glittering sky over NSF @KittPeakNatObs throughout the night. On the left is the KPNO 2.1-meter Telescope. To the right of the 2.1-meter is the WIYN 0.9-meter Telescope, followed by the WIYN 3.5-meter Telescope. 📷 KPNO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/R. T. Sparks

🌌 More than 1,400 Hawaiʻi students explored astronomy during the 23rd Journey Through the Universe! From hands-on classroom activities to stargazing at Maunakea, the program brought the cosmos closer to the next generation. 📷 @GeminiObs/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/J. Pollard

Say “cheese,” all 230 of you. 📸 The Antlia Cluster is a group of 230+ galaxies, 130 million light-years away. This image was captured with DECam on the NSF Blanco Telescope. Nobody blinked. 📷: Dark Energy Survey/DOE/FNAL/DECam/CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/R. Colombari & M. Zamani

The Colors of the Cosmos 🌀The bluer the star, the higher its temperature ⚫An interstellar cloud so dense & cold that light cannot pass through ❤️A color created by ionized hydrogen gas in areas of active star formation ✨A tone created by older stellar populations

POV: You step away from work for 1 min, and this is your view 🏔️☀️ This is the view from the top of NSF–DOE @VRubinObs on Cerro Pachón, Chile. The dome of the NSF Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope is also visible. 📷 NSF–DOE @VRubinObs/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA

Clean your room, NGC 4753. There’s dust everywhere. 🧹🌌 About 1.3 billion years ago, NGC 4753 merged with a smaller galaxy, leaving behind the dark, tangled dust lanes seen here. 📷: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/J. Miller, M. Rodriguez, M. Zamani

It’s time for our November Globe at Night campaign! 🌙✨ Between 01 and 10 Nov 2026, test your stellar navigation skills AND help track light pollution worldwide at globeatnight.org 📲

🌼🔭 Spring has entered the chat The days are getting longer in Chile, wildflowers are starting to brighten the landscape, and the mountains around our observatories are looking pretty good. Here’s a little springtime collage from NSF NOIRLab, enjoy! 📷NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/C. Corco

Happy Halloween! 👻 These telescopes, located at NSF NOIRLab Programs in Chile and Arizona, are getting into the spooky spirit by picking out their costumes! Although they can't go trick-or-treating, they will still be busy all night long observing the cosmos.

🎶 You spin me right round, baby, right round 🎶 Long exposures show stars circling the south celestial pole above the SOAR Telescope in 🇨🇱. During observations, SOAR does the opposite, tracking Earth's rotation to keep targets in focus. 📷CTIO/NOIRLab/SOAR/NSF/AURA/M. Paredes

Gemini South, one half of the International @GeminiObs, operated by NSF NOIRLab, has a GHOST. But we need it! 👻 The Gemini High-resolution Optical SpecTrograph splits light into a spectrum to reveal what objects are made of. 📷: NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/J. Bassett

We had a blast seeing everyone at #DPS2026! So many great questions & conversations - thank you! If you missed asking us something, let us know now via X! We can't wait to see all of you again soon! 📷 NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/S. Greenstreet

🎶 Rocket man 🚀 The Sun had set at NSF @KittPeakNatObs, but sunlight still lit up this SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, launched from California, 550 miles away. Swipe for more views captured by Peter McMahon from the WIYN 3.5-meter Telescope! 📷: KPNO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/P. McMahon