Kitt Peak Observatory Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory NOAO System Science Center
Image Credit: M. A. Newhouse & NOAO/AURA/NSF; inset: S. Sheppard, Carnegie Institution for Science
A New Jovian Mini-Moon
Discovered with DECam on the CTIO Blanco telescope, the diminutive moon S/2017 J1, only a mile across, takes 2 years to complete an orbit around Jupiter. Its retrograde orbit — in the direction opposite to Jupiter’s spin — tells us that the moon originated elsewhere and was captured by Jupiter. The inset shows the discovery images taken by astronomers Scott Sheppard and Chad Trujillo. The discovery brings to 69 the total number of Jovian moons known.
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Blowing the Cover of a Hidden Black Hole
A close look at the center of a nearby galaxy has revealed a surprising connection between the galaxy and the supermassive black hole at its center. -
Punching Above Its Weight, a Brown Dwarf Launches a Parsec-Scale Jet: Astronomers using the SOAR telescope at CTIO have discovered a spectacular extended jet from a young brown dwarf. -
Meet “DeeDee”, a Distant Dwarf in the Outer Solar System. Located 92 AU from the Sun, DeeDee is the second most distant trans-Neptunian object known. Read more in the NRAO Press Release.
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Dusk to Dawn time-lapse at CTIO. Watch the Milky Way rise as the Magellanic Clouds set behind the Blanco 4m. Taken by Rongpu Zhou while observing for DECaLS on 4 March 2017. -
The March 2017 NOAO Newsletter contains sections on Science Highlights, Community Science & Data, System Observing: Telescopes and Instruments, and NOAO Operations & Staff. -
Protecting Dark Skies for Astronomy and Life. NOAO, in partnership with other concerned organizations, convened a workshop at the AAS meeting to showcase successful strategies for reducing light pollution. -
NOAO announces with sorrow the death of Dr. Vera Rubin. Her observations at the KPNO 2.1-m provided compelling evidence for Dark Matter. She will be greatly missed by the entire NOAO staff.
NOAO is the national center for ground-based nighttime astronomy in the United States and is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA). under cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation. If you would like information about solar astronomy, visit the National Solar Observatory. If you would like information about radio astronomy, visit the National Radio Astronomy Observatory.