NSF NRAO Hosts SpectrumX Field Experiment at the Very Large Array

The U.S. National Science Foundation National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NSF NRAO) is celebrating a historic achievement: research using our…

Astronomers using the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Very Long Baseline Array (NSF VLBA) and U.S. National Science Foundation’s Very Large Array (NSF VLA) have caught a supermassive black hole in the act of awakening from a long slumber, providing an unprecedented glimpse into the earliest stages of black hole activity.

An international team, led by astronomers from the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), has for the first time detected circular polarization in radio emission originating from a massive protostar, IRAS 18162-2048—unveiling fresh clues about the cosmic forces shaping our universe.

Astronomers have made a groundbreaking discovery using some of the world’s most advanced radio telescopes. Researchers, led by Fengqiu Adam Dong, a Jansky Fellow at the NSF Green Bank Observatory (NSF GBO), have identified an exceptionally unusual cosmic object known as a Long Period Radio Transient (LPT), named CHIME J1634+44. This object stands out as one of the most polarized LPTs ever discovered, and it is the only one observed to be spinning up (meaning its rotation is speeding up) a phenomenon never seen before in this class of astronomical objects.

The U.S. National Science Foundation National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NSF NRAO) has begun a major upgrade to the NSF Very Long Baseline Array (NSF VLBA) with the development and installation of state-of-the-art ultra wideband receivers capable of operating across the frequency range of 8 to 40 gigahertz (GHz). This new technology, first prototyped by NRAO in collaboration with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), and tested on the NSF VLBA’s Owens Valley station, promises to significantly expand the scientific capabilities of the NSF VLBA.

The U.S. National Science Foundation National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NSF NRAO) has entered into a groundbreaking partnership with the NSF Leadership-Class Computing Facility (NSF LFFC), led by the Texas Advanced Computing Center, to pioneer a transformative data processing system for the next era of radio astronomy.

The partnership is in direct response to the astronomical data volumes anticipated from the upcoming Next Generation Very Large Array (ngVLA) project, which is expected to produce up to 40 petabytes (PB) of data each month—orders of magnitude greater than any of the current NRAO telescopes. . This scale will place NRAO at the forefront of data-intensive scientific exploration not just in astronomy, but across the broader scientific community.

The U.S. National Science Foundation National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NSF NRAO) is proud to announce a significant milestone in advancing STEAM education in rural New Mexico. This achievement is the result of dedicated advocacy by Socorro County and Associated Universities, Inc., whose efforts—combined with bipartisan support from state legislators and Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham—have secured $1.78 million in capital outlay funding for the Next Generation Learning Center at the U.S. National Science Foundation Very Large Array in Socorro County.

The U.S. National Science Foundation National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NSF NRAO) is excited to announce a collaboration with RIX Industries to explore innovative cryogenic cooling solutions for the Next Generation Very Large Array (ngVLA)