Extreme Volcanism: Image Captures one of the Brightest Volcanoes Ever Seen in the Solar System

Press Release | 2014 August 1

During the middle of 2013, Jupiter’s moon Io came alive with volcanism. An image from the Gemini Observatory captures what is one of the brightest volcanoes ever seen in our solar system.

Gemini Reveals a Gravitational Wave Source in Hiding

Web Feature | 2014 June 16

A team of researchers have recently identified one of the best gravitational wave sources currently known using the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph on the Gemini North telescope and the Blue Channel spectrograph on the 6.5-meter MMT Telescope.

Galaxy-wide Outflows, Powered by Supermassive Black Holes, Common Among Quasars

Web Feature | 2014 June 10

Observations using the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph on Gemini South reveal that galaxy-wide high-velocity outflows are extremely common among galaxies that host luminous quasars. These outflows may represent a crucial stage in a galaxy’s evolution when the supermassive black hole at its center begins injecting vast amounts of mass and energy into the galaxy.

Revealing the Complex Outflow Structure of Binary UY Aurigae

Web Feature | 2014 May 15

An international team of astronomers has revealed a complicated outflow structure in the binary UY Aur (Aurigae). The team observed the binary using the Gemini North's NIFS (Near-Infrared Integral Field Spectrometer) with the Altair adaptive optics system and found that the primary star has a wide, open outflow, while the secondary star has a well-collimated jet.

Tackling the Orbit and Size of Beta Pictoris b

Web Feature | 2014 May 15

A Lawrence Livermore team and international collaborators have tracked the orbit of a planet at least four times the size of Jupiter by using the Gemini Planet Imager which snapped an amazingly clear and bright image of the gas giant Beta Pictoris b after an exposure of just one minute.

Odd planet, so far from its star...

Press Release | 2014 May 12

An international team led by Université de Montréal researchers has discovered and photographed a new planet 155 light years from our solar system by combining observations from the Gemini Observatory, the Observatoire Mont-Mégantic (OMM), the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) and the W.M. Keck Observatory.

FIRST POTENTIALLY HABITABLE EARTH-SIZED PLANET CONFIRMED BY GEMINI AND KECK OBSERVATORIES

Press Release | 2014 April 17

The first Earth-sized exoplanet orbiting within the habitable zone of another star has been confirmed by observations with both the W. M. Keck Observatory and the Gemini Observatory.

Sakurai’s Object: Stellar Evolution in Real Time

Press Release | 2014 April 2

Using the Altair adaptive optics (AO) system with the Gemini North telescope on Mauna Kea in Hawai’i to compensate for distortions to starlight caused by the Earth’s atmosphere, two NOAO astronomers were able to observe the shell of escaping material around Sakurai’s Object (V4334 Sgr).

Limits on Binarity of Exoplanet Host Stars

Web Feature | 2014 February 20

New research by Stephen Kane (San Francisco State University) and collaborators shows that planets on highly eccentric (very non-circular) orbits are not necessarily explained by the presence of an additional star still present in the system. The Differential Speckle Survey Instrument (DSSI) on the Gemini North telescope was used in this research.

Gemini North Back On-sky: Dome Repairs Complete

Web Feature | 2014 February 18

Gemini North completed dome shutter system repairs and is back on-sky.

Gemini Planet Imager First Light!

Press Release | 2014 January 6

Gemini Planet Imager (GPI) was designed, built, and optimized for imaging faint planets next to bright stars and probing their atmospheres. It will also be a powerful tool for studying dusty, planet-forming disks around young stars. It is the most advanced such instrument to be deployed on the 8-meter Gemini South telescope in Chile.

FAST, FURIOUS, REFINED: SMALLER BLACK HOLES CAN EAT PLENTY

Press Release | 2013 November 26

Gemini observations support an unexpected discovery in the galaxy Messier 101. A relatively small black hole (20-30 times the mass of our Sun) can sustain a hugely voracious appetite while consuming material in an efficient and tidy manner – something previously thought impossible.

Gemini Planet Imager Begins On-sky Integration at Gemini South

Web Feature | 2013 November 14

Gemini's powerful new instrument for studying planets beyond the Solar System, the Gemini Planet Imager (GPI), has successfully received its first starlight for engineering and testing on the night of November 11-12.

Bringing the Universe Down-to-Earth in Chile

Web Feature | 2013 October 7

Gemini’s flagship local outreach program in Chile, Viaje al Universo, blasted off early last week when Gemini South’s Nancy Levenson addressed nearly 800 students at Colegio San Joaquin.

Gemini Confirms Lonely Planet Floating in Space

Web Feature | 2013 October 7

Observations using the Gemini Near-Infrared Imager (GNIRS) at the Gemini North telescope have confirmed one of the lowest mass free-floating planet known, perhaps the very lowest.

Observations Set Limits on Possible Atmosphere Around Distant World

Web Feature | 2013 September 24

The Gemini Planet Imager Arrives

Web Feature | 2013 September 9

The Gemini Planet Imager (GPI) is fully assembled in the Gemini South instrument lab and begins tesing and integration.

First Published Science Result from GeMS: “Young Stars Leave the Nest”

Web Feature | 2013 August 27

The first refereed science paper based on data from the Gemini Multi-conjugate adaptive optics System (GeMS) demonstrates the effective use of young, lower mass stars to determine the age of a star cluster.

ASTRONOMERS CELEBRATE “CELESTIAL POLLUTION” FROM PERSEID METEOR SHOWER

Press Release | 2013 August 9

“Celestial Pollution” from meteors like this weekend’s Perseid Meteor Shower sprinkle sodium high up in our atmosphere and give astronomers what they need to see the universe in much greater detail.

Poised for Discovery: Gemini’s Much-anticipated Infrared Instrument Goes On-sky

Press Release | 2013 August 6

Gemini Observatory’s latest instrument, a powerful infrared camera and spectrograph called FLAMINGOS-2 at Gemini South, reveals its potential in a series of striking on-sky commissioning images released today.