The International Gemini Observatory is operated by @NSF @NOIRLabAstro. Para español siga a @NOIRLabAstroES. Exploring the Universe, sharing its wonders.
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Say it 3 times: Betelgeuse, Betelgeuse, Betelgeuse.
Astronomers using @Geminiobs North found a hidden companion star orbiting inside Betelgeuse’s atmosphere, the first close-in companion ever seen around a supergiant star.
🔗 noirlab.edu/public/news/noir…
📷GeminiObs/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA
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POV: You’re at @GeminiObs South and decide to look up
Gemini South beneath the Milky Way, with our galaxy's center glowing overhead. 🌌
📷: International Gemini Observatory/NSF NOIRLab/AURA/Kwon O Chul
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The Anglerfish Cluster 🦑✨ This galaxy cluster is so massive that its gravity warps space-time, turning it into a natural cosmic lens. Hubble saw only part of it, @GeminiObs North revealed the rest.
📸: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA
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A team of astronomers have discovered the most distant proto-supercluster ever found 🤯
Known as COSMOS-z3.1-A, this enormous ancestor to a “cluster of clusters” of galaxies has a mass equivalent to about 5,000 Milky Ways.
🔗 noirlab.edu/public/news/noir…
📷CTIO/NOIRLab/DOE/NSF/AURA
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If you want to bake a cake, you might have to crack a few… comets? 🥚
The shattered remains of comet C/2025 K1 as seen by @GeminiObs North
📸 @GeminiObs/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/B. Bolin, J. Miller & M. Rodriguez, T.A. Rector, M. Zamani
B. Bolin, C. Ingebretsen, M. MacGregor
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Six Hawaiʻi Island students helped bring a new Gemini North image to life!
They selected the interacting galaxies NGC 7253, and gave this Hawaiian name:
✨ Nā ʻUhane Māhoe Huki Pū i ke Ola,
“The Twin Spirits Pulling Together Creating Life”
📷@GeminiObs/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA
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☀️ Sun: Throws a 4.5 billion-year party.
☄️Comet 3I/ATLAS: Gatecrashes at 153k mph.
This Gemini South image gives us a rare glimpse into an ancient, alien star system.
📷 International @GeminiObs/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/B. Bolin, J. Miller, M. Rodriguez, T.A. Rector and M. Zamani
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Space invaders? 🛸
Nope. Gemini South’s laser system is creating a 5-star constellation 90 km up to fight its worst enemy: atmospheric turbulence. These "stars" let the telescope correct blurring in real-time.
📷: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/AURA/NSF/M. Paredes
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Last week, this Gemini South image was selected as @SpaceDotCom's Space Photo of the Day! 🔭 bit.ly/4fisphG
Gemini South is 1/2 of the International @GeminiObs, supported in part by @NSF & operated by NSF NOIRLab.
📸International @GeminiObs/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/P. Horálek
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Gemini Observatory retweeted
Severe Storms Impacting AURA/NOIRLab Operations in Chile
Chile has been impacted by an exceptionally powerful storm with heavy precipitation and widespread flooding affecting the communities where many of our colleagues live.
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The Milky Way intertwines with interstellar dust to create a brilliant bridge of light. On the left is Gemini North, 1/2 of the International @GeminiObs. On the right, the lava from the Kīlauea volcano glows orange.
📷@GeminiObs/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/J. Chu
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The “Once in a Rubin Gem” Director's Discretionary Time program is LIVE! This initiative has a zero-proprietary period and focuses on exciting & unexpected discoveries by NSF–DOE @VRubinObs's Legacy Survey of Space and Time.
Submit observing requests ➡️ bit.ly/4b2bGwL
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The @GeminiObs 2026B observing programs and schedule have been announced. Note that the latest version of the Observing Tool is required to access and update 2026B programs. For more information ➡️ bit.ly/4wky8t6
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I know this corner of the Earth, smiles at me 🎶 🌎
The 8.1-meter Gemini North telescope at the summit of Maunakea, Hawai‘i, is seen here in a long exposure at night. Behind the telescope the usual star trails can be seen.
Credit: @GeminiObs /NOIRLab/NSF/AURA
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Rise and shine, Maunakea 🌄✨ This timelapse captures the first light of day washing over the summit of Maunakea, where some of the world’s most advanced telescopes spend their nights exploring the Universe.
📸 International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/S. Goebel
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🌌🔶 What’s it like to be a telescope working the night shift?
This timelapse from the @GeminiObs South telescope in Chile follows several hours of observations as the GMOS System sends its laser into the sky.
📹: @GeminiObs /NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/M. Paredes
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🪐 Astronomers found the strongest evidence yet that some exoplanets may have magnetic fields.
Using @Geminiobs North and ESO’s Very Large Telescope, researchers measured winds on 7 ultra-hot giant exoplanets 🔭
🔗ow.ly/kIWI50Z6FX7
📷: @GeminiObs/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA
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The constellation Gemini is the namesake of the International @GeminiObs, operated by NSF NOIRLab. These twin telescopes in Hawai‘i and Chile give astronomers access to the entire sky.
#GeminiSeason
📷: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/AURA/NSF/A. Hara
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🛠️❄️ Every couple of years, Flamingos-2 comes down for a little maintenance break.
This instrument at the Gemini South telescope is spending a few weeks in the lab for the replacement of its cryocoolers and checks on components.
📷 @GeminiObs/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/S. Olivares
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AstroDay 2026 took over Hilo 🌌✨
Families, students, and astronomy fans gathered at Prince Kuhio Mall with the Maunakea Observatories and local STEM organizations for a day full of space activities, art, and cosmic curiosity.
📷: @GeminiObs/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA
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👀 This image of the week looks like it was taken through a piece of glass, but it was not!
Those glowing vertical streaks in the top right are light pillars, captured by a CloudCam at the @Geminiobs North Telescope.
📷: @GeminiObs/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/J. Pollard
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