“ThunderBarb,” that’s the callsign my staff at the U.S. National Science Foundation National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NSF NRAO) jokingly…
The U.S. National Science Foundation National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NSF NRAO) took the Observatory’s new portable Starlab planetarium on…
Danielle Rowland, Senior Broadening Participation Programs Manager, was recently appointed as Native Nations Engagement Lead of the U.S. National…
Nestled in the woods near North Liberty, Iowa, this antenna can’t be seen from the road, but is occasionally…
Are you planning on viewing the solar eclipse on April 8, 2024? Please make sure you are doing so…
Transit Method When a planet passes directly between a star and its observer, it dims the star’s light by…
SuperKnova is a project to provide learning opportunities in radio technology for students in a way that is inclusive…
#RADIOIMAGEOFTHEWEEK
Double Boomerang
This image of galaxy PKS 2014-55, located 800 million light years from Earth, was made by NRAO scientist William Cotton with the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO) MeerKAT telescope. It shows for the first time how the galaxy’s X-shape is actually a ‘double boomerang’. Two powerful jets of radio waves, indicated in blue color, originate from a massive black hole at the center of the galaxy. They each extend 2.5 million light years into space (comparable to the distance between the Milky Way and the Andromeda galaxy, our nearest major neighbour). Eventually, the jets are ‘turned back’ by the pressure of tenuous intergalactic gas. As they flow back towards the central galaxy, they are deflected by its relatively high gas pressure into the shorter, horizontal arms of the boomerang. The background image shows visible light from myriad galaxies in the distant universe.NRAO Making Waves
Announcements and Achievements
-
NSF NRAO Names Albuquerque’s Jeff Hoehn to Director of Advancement for Next Generation Learning Center
The U.S. National Science Foundation National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NSF NRAO) is proud to announce the appointment of Jeff Hoehn, MPA, as its new Director of Advancement, expanding the Observatory’s capacity for partnership and philanthropy across New Mexico and the nation.
-
NSF NRAO to Host Spring 2026 VLA Open House
NSF NRAO invites the public to the U.S. National Science Foundation Very Large Array (NSF VLA) for its annual Spring Open House on Saturday, April 18, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
-
NSF NRAO Highlights Major AI and Astronomy Advances with NSF-Simons AI Institute for Cosmic Origins at 247th American Astronomical Society Meeting
The U.S. National Science Foundation National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NSF NRAO) is celebrating significant progress in the NSF-Simons AI Institute for Cosmic Origins (CosmicAI), which is advancing the intersection of artificial intelligence and astronomy
-
NSF NRAO Selects New Mexico Firm to Design Next Generation Learning Center at the NSF Very Large Array
The U.S. National Science Foundation National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NSF NRAO) has selected New Mexico–based Modulus Architects & Land Use Planning, Inc. (MODULUS) as the architectural firm for the Next Generation Learning Center (ngLC), a new state-of-the-art STEM education facility planned for the U.S. National Science Foundation Very Large Array (NSF VLA) site west of Socorro, New Mexico. The project is slated to be a facility that will expand educational opportunity and workforce development across New Mexico and beyond.
Different star types “live” and “die” in different ways based on how much matter they started with and if they were born with siblings nearby.
