Announcements

27 August 2002: Exploring mass sub-structure in the Einstein Cross lensing galaxy A gravitational lens is created when a massive foreground object (a large intervening galaxy in this case of the Einstein Cross) bends and amplifies the light from a far more distant object (a quasar in this case) directly behind it. In certain circumstances, the background object may be distorted or even multiply-imaged into two or four images. The Einstein Cross (Q2237+0305) is such a 4-image lens, where the bulge of a nearby spiral galaxy is lensing a very distant quasar. In the case of the Einstein Cross, the more distant quasar appears much brighter than the intervening galaxy and four images of the same quasar are formed. Without the intervening galaxy, the quasar image would be a single object of much fainter magnitude. The goal of the CIRPASS near-infrared spectroscopy program on the Einstein Cross is to explore mass substructures of …

13 August 2002: The children and teachers of Hawai'i and Chile will be the first to benefit from a novel educational program made possible by Gemini Observatory's new high-speed Internet link that connects the twin telescopes on both hemispheres. Observatory Director Dr. Matt Mountain announced today the new Gemini StarTeachers Exchange Program between Hilo and its Sister City of La Serena, Chile - the two host communities of Gemini Observatory. The announcement was made from Gemini's Hilo Base Facility during a world-wide "virtual inauguration" demonstrating the Internet technology. (See related press release, "Celestial Cybernetics") "This is a learning process for all of us," Dr. Mountain said. "We're hopeful this first exchange program will provide us with valuable data and experience on the educational use of our evolving audio-visual Internet capabilities. We want to refine the technology, so we can continue and expand these community-type programs throughout our international observatory partnership." The goal of …

4 August 2002: is located in the constellation of Sagittarius. This stunning image of the much-photographed, dynamic cloud of gas and dust, was taken at the Gemini North Observatory with the GMOS instrument, which uses software developed by NOAO.

15 July 2002: Is a richly populated star cluster in the Milky Way whose stellar population has surprising similarities to the Sun's composition.

20 June 2002: Is the bluish dot to the right of the center of the galaxy NGC 5018 in this image taken by the 0.9-meter telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile on 14 June 2002.

3 June 2002: On Monday afternoon, June 10, Big Island residents had the opportunity to safely view a partial solar eclipse where the Moon covered about half the Sun's surface. The public was invited to attend a Family Astronomy Afternoon to view the partial solar eclipse from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Gemini Observatory headquarters at University Park on the upper campus of the University of Hawai'i at Hilo (off Komohana). "This is a unique opportunity to view a partial solar eclipse and view the Sun safely through a telescope," said Dr. Richard Crowe, Professor of Astronomy at UH-Hilo. "I anticipate that we will also have some nice views of sunspots, if Hilo's weather cooperates." The event was jointly sponsored by the Hilo Astronomy Club, the UH-Hilo Department of Astronomy and the Gemini Observatory. At its maximum coverage, which occurred in Hilo at 2:47 p.m., the Moon hid almost exactly half the …

30 May 2002: At a distance of just 3 AU in this adaptive optics image from Gemini North. NOAO Image Credit: Gemini Observatory/Melanie Freed, Laird Close, Nick Siegler University of Arizona/ Hokupa'a-QUIRC image, University of Hawaii, IfA

29 April 2002: Taken on April 23, 2002

9 April 2002: The WIYN 3.5-meter telescope on Kitt Peak took this image of the Ring Nebula (left) on April 2, 2002 aided by the new WIYN Tip-Tilt Module (WTTM). This adaptive optics device helps correct for degradation of the telescope's imaging quality due to atmospheric effects and shaking of the telescope by wind.

4 April 2002: Arden Bercovitz, Ph.D., is a scientist portraying a scientist, creativity coach and keynote speaker recognized by the National Speakers Association. Dr. Bercovitz has performed as Einstein for over 10 years and his acclaimed characterization of the famous scientist has received praise from students, the media and scientists alike. Since asking questions was critical to Einstein's genius, the public is encouraged to question Einstein. Bercovitz, as Einstein, answers in character, weaving stories and answers from a wealth of Einstein quotes and powerful anecdotes that show Albert Einstein as not just a scientist, but also a visionary and humanist. Enlivened by dramatizations based closely on Einstein's writings and recollection of experiences, Bercovitz shares Albert's unique genius to help children and adults expand their thinking skills and broaden their horizons. All programs are free but seating will be limited and provided on a first-come-first-served basis. All programs are sponsored by the Gemini Observatory …

31 March 2002: In the infrared, centered around the Brackett Alpha emission line, is shown in this composite image of 42 frames obtained by the Abu thermal infrared camera on the Gemini South 8-meter telescope. Abu was built by the National Optical Astronomy Observatory.

22 February 2002: Phoenix, a high resolution infrared spectrograph, originally built for use on the NOAO 4-m telescopes at Kitt Peak and Cerro Tololo, underwent commissioning on Gemini South in December 2001. The first science observing programs were performed in early February 2002. They comprised a Demonstration Science program (described below) and individual science projects from the Gemini queue. Both the commissioning and the science runs were highly successful. Introduction to Demonstration Science Our universe initially was virtually entirely hydrogen and helium, as a result of the Big Bang. The heavier elements (which astronomers call "metals") that now make up a small fraction of the universe's mass and our sun's mass (but much of the mass of the earth, and our bodies) were made inside previous generations of stars, which exploded and ejected their material into space. Studies have shown that spiral galaxies, including our Milky Way, have higher abundances of "metals" in …

20 February 2002: shows a myriad of hot blue massive stars and several famous nebulae in impressive detail in this new color image taken at the Blanco 4-meter telescope in Chile by the NOAO Local Group Galaxies Survey Team.

8 January 2002: A planetary nebula produced by a star that was once like our Sun. This image was obtained with the "Abu" thermal-infrared camera built by the National Optical Astronomy Observatory, and was released in honor of the dedication of Gemini South on January 18, 2002.

29 November 2001: Astronomers using the recently commissioned Gemini North telescope in Hawaii have discovered a protoplanetary disk orbiting one of the stars in a newborn quadruple star system.

25 November 2001: The blue dot in the center of this image (highlighted by a blue arrow) is the optical light signature of Gamma Ray Burst 011121. It was taken with the National Science Foundation's Blanco 4-meter telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile on November 23. The reddish dot adjoining the transient gamma ray burst, at its lower left, is probably the core of the galaxy in which the gamma ray burst occurred.

1 June 1999: Observations of globular clusters teach us how the first generation of stars in our Galaxy formed some 12 to 15 billion years ago and how they have evolved ever since. Globular clusters are extremely dense stellar environments that typically contain between one hundred thousand to one million stars. The density of these star cities presents us with a wealth of information on stars of all sizes but also presents a great challenge – how can we peer into the very heart of such a dense star cluster? Gemini, with its excellent image quality, can provide extremely sharp pictures that deblur and deblend the star images and allow observations right into the very heart of these oldest stellar environments. The optical picture on the left is sharp and clear because of the good atmospheric conditions on Mauna Kea and the excellent optical quality of the Gemini telescope. Yet NGC 6934 contains …