National Radio Astronomy Observatory – Revealing the Hidden Universe

NEWS + FEATURES

an LGBTQIA+ flag in black, brown, red, yellow, green, blue, and purple, with a star and nebula overlay, with the words we are all made of star stuff

9 June 2021

NRAO honors pride month: We are {ALL} made of star stuff

Twenty galaxies in the nearby universe shown as ALMA and Hubble Space Telescope composites. They are shown in orange and red to highlight their different structures, including spirals, rings, S shapes, and more.

8 June 2021

Cosmic Cartographers Map Nearby Universe Revealing the Diversity of Star-Forming Galaxies

8 June 2021

Qorvo Provides Key Enabling Technology for Identifying, Mapping and Tracking Threats from Near-Earth Objects

3 June 2021

Jets from Massive Protostars Might be Very Different from Lower-Mass Systems, Astronomers Find

1 June 2021

NRAO Selects Contractor for Next-Generation VLA Antenna Development

10 May 2021

The Bands of Radio Astronomy: How Astronomers See the Colors of Radio Light

4 May 2021

IMAGE RELEASE: New Look at a Bright Stellar Nursery

27 April 2021

ALMA Shows Massive Young Stars Forming in “Chaotic Mess”

Image showing an active M dwarf star, Proxima Centuari, in red with many star spots, ejecting a large stellar flare in yellow and white. Proxima Centauri b, a small Earth-like planet is seen in the distant right of the image.

21 April 2021

Record-breaking Stellar Flare From Nearby Star Recorded in Multiple Wavelengths for the First Time

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NRAO TELESCOPES

ALMA

Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array

The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array in the Atacama Desert, Chile, is the most complex observatory ever built.

Visit ALMA

VLBA

Very Long Baseline Array

The Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) is ten radio telescopes stationed across 5,351 miles. It’s the world’s sharpest, dedicated telescope array.

Photo of ten VLA antennas pointing at a cloudy sky at twilight.

VLA

Very Large Array

The VLA is the most advanced radio telescope array on Earth, a customizable interferometer that spans up to 22 miles across.

Visit VLA

NRAO BLOGS

Debris Disks: What can we learn from the leftovers of the planet formation process?

Jacob White |

11 June 2021

This article was originally published in Medium on March 9, 2021. Some changes have been made to the original…

A Scintillating Description of Why Quasars Twinkle. Or, How We Tried to Break the Very Large Array.

Jim Lovell |

24 May 2021

One of the great things about being a radio astronomer is that if you have a good idea, and…

Are the Molecules of Life Right-Handed or Left-Handed?

Alberto Bolatto |

3 May 2021

Molecules are found in the hard vacuum of interstellar space, in the same places where new stars and planetary…

Exploring the Invisible Universe with Cardboard and Aluminum Foil

Sam Watchman |

21 March 2021

In November 2020, Oscar Le, a high school teacher from Northern Virginia, contacted us on behalf of one of…

All your Base(Lines) are Belong to Us

Bill E. Saxton |

3 February 2021

One of the many things shared by the astronomical objects observed by NRAO radio telescopes and its Education and…

Filling the Gap in our Knowledge of Planet Formation with the Next Generation Very Large Array

Nienke van der Marel |

19 January 2021

Astronomy is all about our origin: where do we come from? What is the origin of the Earth and…

What’s in that Radio Signal from Proxima Centauri?

Tony Beasley |

4 January 2021

Last month, a story leaked to the press from the Breakthrough Listen Initiative (BLI), a world-wide decade-long effort to…

NRAO’s 2020 Astronomy Highlights with Phil Plait

Nan Janney |

28 December 2020

2020 probably won’t go down as anyone’s favorite year, but we still want to celebrate all of the cool (radio) science we did.

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#RADIOIMAGEOFTHEWEEK

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NRAO Making Waves

Announcements and Achievements

NRAO honors pride month: We are {ALL} made of star stuff

Qorvo Provides Key Enabling Technology for Identifying, Mapping and Tracking Threats from Near-Earth Objects

NRAO, Green Bank Telescope, and Raytheon Intelligence & Space (RI&S) are working in collaboration to improve planetary radar capabilities. With the addition of Qorvo’s Spatium power amplifier technology, the project now has the power to identify and characterize even small NEOs earlier with more precision.

National Radio Astronomy Observatory Featured in the 2021 STEM for All Video Showcase

Three projects from the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) are featured in the National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded 2021 STEM for All Video Showcase running from May 11 to May 18, 2021, showcasing the Observatory’s commitment to equity, social justice, and creative solutions to engagement during COVID-19.

ALMA Takes First Step Toward Return to Service

The process of returning ALMA to operational status has begun by powering up the first few antennas for the first time since the COVID-19 shutdown in March of 2021.

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EXPLORE + LEARN

Exoplanets

As soon as it came online, ALMA began providing valuable information about extrasolar planetary systems at all stages of their evolution.

Galaxy Evolution

A galaxy is an island of stars floating on a plate of dark matter, or so the theory goes.

Pulsars Astronomy

From the Earth, a pulsar looks like a star that has a pulse, a rapid beat picked up only by radio telescopes.

The National Radio Astronomy Observatory is a facility of the National Science Foundation operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc.
	Founded in 1956, the NRAO provides state-of-the-art radio telescope facilities for use by the international scientific community. NRAO telescopes are open to all astronomers regardless of institutional or national affiliation. Observing time on NRAO telescopes is available on a competitive basis to qualified scientists after evaluation of research proposals on the basis of scientific merit, the capability of the instruments to do the work, and the availability of the telescope during the requested time. NRAO also provides both formal and informal programs in education and public outreach for teachers, students, the general public, and the media.
	The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency created by Congress in 1950 "to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense..."
	AUI collaborates with the scientific community and research sponsors to plan, build, and operate cutting-edge facilities. We cultivate excellence, deliver value, enhance education, and engage the public.