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NEWS + FEATURES

Double the Disks, Double the Discovery: New Insights into Planet Formation in DF Tau
16 January 2025
Double the Disks, Double the Discovery: New Insights into Planet Formation in DF Tau

Tucked away in a star-forming region in the Taurus constellation, a pair of circling stars are displaying some unexpected…

Young Stars in the Milky Way’s Backyard Challenge Our Understanding of How They Form
15 January 2025
Young Stars in the Milky Way’s Backyard Challenge Our Understanding of How They Form
Astronomers Catch Unprecedented Features at Brink of Active Black Hole
13 January 2025
Astronomers Catch Unprecedented Features at Brink of Active Black Hole
A Stellar Farewell: Dr. James Jackson Retires as Director of NSF Green Bank Observatory
8 January 2025
A Stellar Farewell: Dr. James Jackson Retires as Director of NSF Green Bank Observatory
Helical Magnetic Fields: A Universal Mechanism for Jet Collimation?
7 January 2025
Helical Magnetic Fields: A Universal Mechanism for Jet Collimation?
Astronomers Detect Earliest and Most Distant Blazar in the Universe
18 December 2024
Astronomers Detect Earliest and Most Distant Blazar in the Universe
ALMA and the Event Horizon Telescope: Moving Towards a Close-Up of a Black Hole and its Jets
17 December 2024
ALMA and the Event Horizon Telescope: Moving Towards a Close-Up of a Black Hole and its Jets
Black Hole Explorer Hopes to Reveal New Details of Supermassive Black Holes
12 December 2024
Black Hole Explorer Hopes to Reveal New Details of Supermassive Black Holes
Astronomers Discover Magnetic Loops Around Supermassive Black Hole
11 December 2024
Astronomers Discover Magnetic Loops Around Supermassive Black Hole
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NRAO TELESCOPES

Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array
ALMA

Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array

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

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Very Long Baseline Array
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.

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NRAO BLOGS

Astronomers Discover Magnetic Loops Around Supermassive Black Hole
NSF NRAO Brings the Night Sky to You
Jason Schreiner |
3 January 2025

The U.S. National Science Foundation National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NSF NRAO) took the Observatory’s new portable Starlab planetarium on…

Astronomers Discover Magnetic Loops Around Supermassive Black Hole
NSF NRAO Names Native Nations Engagement Lead
Danielle Rowland |
23 December 2024

Danielle Rowland, Senior Broadening Participation Programs Manager, was recently appointed as Native Nations Engagement Lead of the U.S. National…

Astronomers Discover Magnetic Loops Around Supermassive Black Hole
From Rooftops to Research: Gabriela Larios’ Journey to the Stars
Gabriela Larios |
16 December 2024

My name is Gabriela Larios, and I was born in Costa Rica, but I’ve called Guatemala home since I…

Astronomers Discover Magnetic Loops Around Supermassive Black Hole
North Liberty, Iowa: The NSF VLBA’s Only Midwestern Radio Telescope
Jill Malusky |
5 December 2024

Nestled in the woods near North Liberty, Iowa, this antenna can’t be seen from the road, but is occasionally…

Astronomers Discover Magnetic Loops Around Supermassive Black Hole
Meet Miguel Montalvo: A Journey from El Salvador to the Stars
Miguel Montalvo |
4 November 2024

My name is Miguel Montalvo, and my journey into Astrophysics has been far from straightforward. It began in El…

Astronomers Discover Magnetic Loops Around Supermassive Black Hole
How to Safely View the Eclipse
Barbara Gruber |
15 March 2024

Are you planning on viewing the solar eclipse on April 8, 2024?  Please make sure you are doing so…

Astronomers Discover Magnetic Loops Around Supermassive Black Hole
Eclipses and Exoplanets
Barbara Gruber |
11 March 2024

Transit Method  When a planet passes directly between a star and its observer, it dims the star’s light by…

Astronomers Discover Magnetic Loops Around Supermassive Black Hole
Learning Shines Brightly at SuperKnova
Brian Koberlein |
31 January 2024

SuperKnova is a project to provide learning opportunities in radio technology for students in a way that is inclusive…

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#RADIOIMAGEOFTHEWEEK

A VLA Transporter stopped on the tracks

A VLA Transporter stopped on the tracks

There are only two Antenna Transporters at the Very Large Array that are used to move antennas into new configurations. Here we can see the massive red machine stretched across the tracks.
See Past Images of the Week

NRAO Making Waves

Announcements and Achievements

  • The Very Large Array to Host Fall Open House on October 12, 2024

    The U.S. National Science Foundation National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NSF NRAO) is thrilled to invite the public to the NSF Very Large Array (NSF VLA) Fall Open House on Saturday, October 12, 2024, from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm.

  • Engineers Descend upon DC for International Microwave Symposium, NRAO Will Exhibit, Scientist to Receive Pioneer Award

    NRAO and the Central Development Laboratory (CDL) will showcase the latest developments in radio instrumentation technology at the 2024 International Microwave Symposium, where NRAO scientist Marian Pospieszalski will be awarded the 2024 Microwave Pioneer Award.

  • NAC Alum Awarded NSF Graduate Research Fellowship

    Carlos Ortiz Quintana, an alumnus of the National Astronomy Consortium (NAC) at NRAO, has been awarded a five-year fellowship…

  • AUI Announces 2024 Scholarship Recipients

    Eighteen high school students receive award for academic achievement, community involvement and leadership skills Below are the recipients of…

See Past Announcements

EXPLORE + LEARN

Learn
Our Milky Way Galaxy

On a clear, dark night, you can see a glowing stream that seems to split the sky. We have called it the Milky Way for thousands of years, and its exact nature was a mystery until less than a hundred years ago.

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Exoplanets

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

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Quasars

Quasars are cores of galaxies where a supermassive black hole is messily feeding.

Connect with NRAO

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The National Radio Astronomy Observatory is a facility of the U.S. 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 U.S. 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.
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