All articles tagged with #gemini observatory
A new image from the Gemini Observatory shows the growing tail of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS as it passes through our solar system, becoming more active and providing valuable scientific insights. The comet, only the third known interstellar visitor, is expected to make its closest approach to the sun in late October and remains visible through September.
Astronomers and students captured detailed images of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, revealing a prominent tail and coma, and conducted spectral analysis to study its composition, providing valuable insights into material from another star system during its brief passage through our solar system.
The International Gemini Observatory, a key player in global astronomical research, has temporarily suspended operations following a cyberattack. The Gemini North and South Telescopes, along with the Gemini.edu website, have been taken offline as a precaution. The National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory (NOIRLab), backed by the National Science Foundation, is working to restore normal operations and investigate the cyberattack. The culprits and their motives remain unknown, but previous cyberattacks on astronomical observatories and NASA have highlighted the need for enhanced cybersecurity in the space sector.
Astronomers have discovered a distant and unusually lonely galaxy, 3C 297, which appears to have assimilated its former companion galaxies, challenging current understanding of galaxy and galaxy cluster formation. The galaxy may be the most distant "fossil group" ever discovered, where one galaxy has absorbed its former companions. The discovery was made using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and the International Gemini Observatory. The galaxy contains a quasar, a supermassive black hole pulling in gas at the center of the galaxy and driving powerful jets of matter seen in radio waves.