NOAO Home Page Image Archive
The last 5 images that have appeared on the NOAO Home Page.
May 02, 2013
NOAO/AURA/NSF
A Better View with Adaptive Optics into the Heart of a Globular Cluster
This image of Globular cluster NGC 6496, observed with the SOAR Adaptive Module (SAM), is about 3 arc minutes across. The enlarged sections of the cluster show the image with SOAR adaptive optics (AO) on and off, demonstrating the significant difference that sharp stellar images can make in our understanding of the properties of stars.
The typical FWHM of stellar images in Closed Loop (SAM On) and Open Loop (SAM Off) condition (averaged over the field):
| Filter | FWHM | |
|---|---|---|
| Closed Loop | Open Loop | |
| B | 0.48" | 0.59" |
| V | 0.43" | 0.66" |
| R | 0.32" | 0.54" |
| I | 0.31" | 0.50" |
Read more in NOAO Press Release 13-04 and the Astronomical Journal.
April 04, 2013
Blanco f/8 Secondary Repaired
The repair of the Blanco telescope’s f/8 secondary has been completed, and the figure of the repaired optic (shown at right) matches the measurement after it was refigured in 1993 (at left). The small circle in the center of the 2013 image represents the diameter of the repair. The repaired mirror will be returned to Chile, where the repairs to the mirror cell are underway. Initial re-integration of the cell on the telescope is scheduled for late June, with first light with the repaired mirror planned for August. Additional details on the recovery effort.
April 01, 2013
T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage), T. Allen (University of Toledo) and WIYN/NOAO/AURA/NSF
Star Birth in Cepheus
Cep OB 3b is rich young cluster located in the northern constellation of Cepheus. As part of his Ph D thesis, Tom Allen (U Toledo), and a team from seven different universities, are searching for the previous generations of star formation in the region surrounding Cep OB3b, and piecing together the history of star formation in this magnificent region. The brightest yellow star near the center of the image is a foreground star, lying between us and the young cluster. The other bright stars are the massive young stars of the cluster that are heating the gas and dust in the cloud and blowing out cavities. Surrounding these massive cluster stars are thousands of smaller young stars that may be in the process of forming planetary systems.
February 28, 2013
March 2013
NOAO Newsletter
The March 2013 NOAO Newsletter is online and ready to download. This issue includes information pertaining to the 2013B Call for Proposals, which are due March 28, 2013.
On the Cover
This cover presents a collage of the past, present, and future of the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile
in celebration of the observatory’s 50th anniversary.
February 18, 2013
Credit: Nicholas Moskovitz (MIT)
Asteroid 2012 DA14 Speeds Away from Earth
An international team led by Nicholas Moskovitz (MIT), observed the asteroid with a number of telescopes, including the 2.1m telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory: the accompanying video (600x600 pixel .gif) shows the asteroid as it was leaving the vicinity of the earth.
Link to all previous images [261].
