Gemini News Archive
THE GEMINI PLANET IMAGER PRODUCES STUNNING OBSERVATIONS IN ITS FIRST YEAR
Press Release | 2015 January 6
Stunning exoplanet images and spectra from the first year of science operations with the Gemini Planet Imager (GPI) were featured today in a press conference at the 225th meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) in Seattle, Washington.
First Surface Observations of Oort Cloud Objects
Press Release | 2014 November 7
Astronomers are announcing today the discovery of two unusual objects in comet-like orbits that originate in the Oort cloud but with almost no activity, giving scientists a first look at their surfaces.
Smallest Known Galaxy with a Supermassive Black Hole
Press Release | 2014 September 16
A University of Utah astronomer and his colleagues discovered that an ultracompact dwarf galaxy harbors a supermassive black hole – the smallest galaxy known to contain such a massive light-sucking object. The finding suggests huge black holes may be more common than previously believed.
Planet-like Object May Have Spent Its Youth as Hot as a Star
Press Release | 2014 August 5
Gemini observations helped prove the coolness of a “Y dwarf” – WISE J0304-2705 – which may have been a hot star in its youth.
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.
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).
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.
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.
Revolutionary Instrument Delivers a Sharper Universe to Astronomers
Press Release | 2013 July 2
A unique new instrument, called GeMS, at Gemini South in Chile takes the removal of atmospheric distortions (using adaptive optics technology) to a new level. Today’s release of seven ultrasharp, large-field images from the instrument’s first science observations demonstrate its remarkable discovery potential.
Gas-Giant Exoplanets Cling Close to Their Parent Stars
Press Release | 2013 June 27
Gemini Observatory’s Planet-Finding Campaign finds that, around many types of stars, distant gas-giant planets are rare and prefer to cling close to their parent stars. The impact on theories of planetary formation could be significant.
Gemini Observatory Captures Comet ISON Hurtling Toward Uncertain Destiny with the Sun
Press Release | 2013 May 29
A new series of images from Gemini Observatory shows Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) racing toward an uncomfortably close rendezvous with the Sun. In late November the comet could present a stunning sight in the twilight sky and remain easily visible into early December of this year.
GEMINI CONFIRMS THE CLOSEST STAR SYSTEM FOUND IN A CENTURY
Press Release | 2013 March 8
A pair of newly discovered stars is the third-closest star system to the Sun, according to a paper that will be published in Astrophysical Journal Letters. The duo is the closest star system discovered since 1916.
NEXT-GENERATION ADAPTIVE OPTICS BRINGS REMARKABLE DETAILS TO LIGHT IN STELLAR NURSERY
Press Release | 2013 January 8
A new image released today reveals how Gemini Observatory's most advanced adaptive optics (AO) system will help astronomers study the universe with an unprecedented level of clarity and detail by removing distortions due to the Earth’s atmosphere
"All-Clear" Asteroid Will Miss Earth in 2040
Press Release | 2012 December 21
Potential asteroid collision in 2040 is a non-threat based on new Gemini Observatory data.
Poetry in Motion: Rare Polar-Ring Galaxy Captured in New Image
Press Release | 2012 October 17
This new Gemini Legacy image captured the colorful and dramatic tale of a life-and-death struggle between two galaxies interacting.
Sharpest-ever Ground-based Images of Pluto and Charon: Proves a Powerful Tool for Exoplanet Discoveries
Press Release | 2012 September 25
Using a method called reconstructive speckle imaging, the researchers took the sharpest ground-based snapshots ever obtained of Pluto and Charon in visible light, which hint at the exoplanet verification power of Gemini telescopes when combined with speckle imaging techniques.
