Gemini News Archive
Gemini Observatory Captures Multicolor Image of First-ever Interstellar Comet
Press Release | 2019 September 13
The first-ever comet from beyond our Solar System has been successfully imaged by the Gemini Observatory in multiple colors. The image of the newly discovered object, denoted C/2019 Q4 (Borisov), was obtained on the night of 9-10 September using the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph on the Gemini North Telescope on Hawaii’s Maunakea.
Exoplanets Can’t Hide Their Secrets from Innovative New Instrument
Press Release | 2019 August 29
A cunning new instrument at Gemini Observatory has achieved what was once thought impossible — namely, the characterization of an exoplanet orbiting a binary star and determining which star of the pair it orbits.
Revealing the Intimate Lives of MASSIVE Galaxies
Web Feature | 2019 August 22
Gemini Observatory’s MASSIVE Galaxy Survey peeks into the lives of some of the most interesting galaxies of the universe.
Total Annihilation for Supermassive Stars
Press Release | 2019 August 15
Gemini Observatory captures critical data on an exotic stellar explosion that’s challenging astronomers to rethink how the most massive stars end their lives.
Discovering Patterns in Io's Volcanoes
Web Feature | 2019 August 5
Jupiter’s volcanic moon Io brought astronomers and geologists together to reveal that this moon’s hot spots fluctuate on unexpected timescales.
Einstein's General Relativity Illustrated by a Single Star
Web Feature | 2019 July 25
By observing a single star orbiting around the supermassive black hole at the center of our Milky Way Galaxy, a team of astronomers have tested Einstein’s one hundred-year-old theory of General Relativity in an unprecedented new regime.
Cosmic Cat and Mouse: Astronomers Capture and Tag a Fleeting Radio Burst
Press Release | 2019 June 27
Gemini Observatory provides critical observations that confirm the distance to a mysterious, very short-lived, radio outburst from a galaxy billions of light years away.
The Formative Years: Giant Planets vs. Brown Dwarfs
Press Release | 2019 June 11
Based on preliminary results from a new Gemini Observatory survey of 531 stars with the Gemini Planet Imager (GPI), it appears more and more likely that large planets and brown dwarfs have very different roots.
Gemini Focuses on a Mid-sized Galactic Black Hole
Press Release | 2019 June 6
An international team of researchers led by astronomer Jong-Hak Woo obtained deep spectroscopy from Gemini, combined with light echo measurements from multiple observatories, to confirm a black hole “missing link.”
Is the Mystery of the Dark Matter Deficient Galaxy Resolved?
Web Feature | 2019 May 29
Two teams of researchers came to different conclusions regarding dark matter in NGC 1052-DF2 (KKS2000-04).
Neptune’s Moon Triton Fosters Rare Icy Union
Press Release | 2019 May 20
Using IGRINS on Gemini South, an extraordinary union between carbon monoxide and nitrogen ices has been observed. The discovery offers insights into how this volatile mixture can transport material across the moon’s surface via geysers, trigger seasonal atmospheric changes, and provide a context for conditions on other distant, icy worlds.
Making Good Use of Bad Weather: Finding Metal-poor Stars Through the Clouds
Web Feature | 2019 April 17
The Gemini telescopes helped to identify low-metallicity stars by gathering medium-resolution spectroscopic GMOS data for 666 bright stars under poor weather conditions. These data provide a unique opportunity to explore the chemical evolution of the Milky Way and look at the enrichment of star-forming gas clouds in the early Universe.
Ultra-sharp Images Make Old Stars Look Absolutely Marvelous!
Press Release | 2019 March 21
Using high-resolution adaptive optics imaging from the Gemini Observatory, astronomers have uncovered one of the oldest star clusters in the Milky Way Galaxy.
Bubble Blowing Black Hole Jet’s Impact on Galactic Evolution
Web Feature | 2019 February 6
Astronomers using adaptive optics on Gemini North telescope have resolved, for the first time in near-infrared light, a giant elliptical galaxy with a young radio jet down to unprecedented scales
Cosmic Telescope Zooms in on the Beginning of Time
Press Release | 2019 January 9
Observations from Gemini Observatory identify a key fingerprint of an extremely distant quasar, allowing astronomers to sample light emitted from the dawn of time.
Outer Solar System Object has Astronomers Seeing Double
Web Feature | 2018 December 17
Extremely high-resolution speckle observations by Gemini South deliver critical details on a star (or stars) lying in the apparent path of remnants from the early formation of our Solar System.
Large and Long Program 2019 CfP Released
Web Feature | 2018 December 15
Gemini Observatory announces the opportunity for new Large and Long Programs, with observations beginning in the 2019B semester.
Tiny Old Star Has Huge Impact
Press Release | 2018 November 1
Astronomers use the Gemini Observatory to investigate a tiny star that is likely the oldest known star in the disk of our galaxy. The diminutive star could have a disproportionate impact on our understanding of the age and history of our Milky Way Galaxy.
Nearby Supernova Sheds Light on Ancient Dust
Web Feature | 2018 October 16
An international team used GNIRS to follow the evolution of the near-infrared spectrum of the core-collapse supernova 2017eaw (ccSN 2017eaw) over three semesters. The data obtained from this relatively nearby event may help us to better understand the existence of dusty galaxies in the early, much more distant Universe.
Gemini Observatory to Advance Adaptive Optics and Multi-messenger Astronomy with NSF Award
Press Release | 2018 September 20
New funding from the National Science Foundation will enable the international Gemini Observatory to advance its position at the forefront of the new era of “multi-messenger astronomy” by enhancing its scientific capabilities in high-resolution and rapid-response astronomy.
