Gemini South by Moonlight

The Gemini South telescope on Cerro Pachón in Chile is illuminated by the setting moon (visible on left, through vent-gate). At the bottom of this fisheye lens view, the Near-Infrared Cronagraphic Imager (NICI) is illuminated. NICI is currently being used extensively in planet-search programs due to its ability to see faint objects very close to bright stars. In the sky, the constellation of Orion dominates the open slit, it appears to be oriented in a Northern Hemisphere juxtaposition (with Orion’s head on top) but this is due to the fact that the lens used for this photograph shows the entire hemisphere of the sky and the top is really the back of the view.

Full Resolution TIF (25.2 MB)

Medium Resolution JPG (756 KB)

Link to Gemini Observatory 8.5x11 Print.

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