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New Director of North American ALMA Science Center Named Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science

March 31, 2026 at 8:00 am | News Release

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has named Joe Pesce a 2026 AAAS Fellow. Pesce is…

Silohuette of photographer on the right taking a photo of a VLA antenna at night. Overlaying that image is a a photo of the back of a digital camera showing an image of a VLA antenna with the Milky Way behind it.

Astrophotography Workshop Announced at Iconic Very Large Array

March 24, 2026 at 12:58 pm | News Release

Photography enthusiasts and stargazers alike are invited to experience an unforgettable evening of learning and exploration at the U.S. National Science Foundation Very Large Array (NSF VLA) located 25 miles west of Magdalena, New Mexico.

NSF NRAO Names Albuquerque’s Jeff Hoehn to Director of Advancement for Next Generation Learning Center

March 16, 2026 at 1:09 pm | Announcement

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.

this image is purely decorative, it features a velociraptor encouraging you to visit the VLA Open House.

NSF NRAO to Host Spring 2026 VLA Open House

March 13, 2026 at 5:02 pm | Announcement

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.

A bright, icy-looking object floats in deep space at the center of the image, surrounded by a large, glowing blue and pale orange cloud that fades softly into the dark background. The blue part of the cloud is largest and mostly on the left-hand side. The orange part is smaller and on the right-hand side. Small stars are scattered throughout the black sky.

ALMA Detects Extremely Abundant Alcohol in Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS

March 6, 2026 at 12:00 pm | News Release

Comet 3I/ATLAS continues to make astonishing headlines, thanks to new findings from astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array…

This image shows the complex distribution of molecular gas in the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ) of the Milky Way. It was obtained with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), in which ESO is a partner. This map is as long as three full Moons side-by-side in the sky, and it is in fact the largest ALMA image ever obtained. This map is part of ACES — the ALMA CMZ Exploration Survey — a project designed to understand how gas condenses into stars in the extreme and chaotic environment at the heart of our galaxy. The survey has charted the distribution of dozens of different molecules, five of which are shown here in different colours: sulphur monoxide (cyan), silicon monoxide (green), isocyanic acid (red), cyanoacetylene (blue), and carbon monosulphide (magenta). The stars in the foreground of this image were observed at infrared wavelengths (Y, Z and J filters) with ESO’s VISTA telescope as part of a different project. The actual density of stars in the CMZ is much higher than what is shown here, where we have opted to highlight the details in the molecular cloud. Note that the edges of the ALMA map appear somewhat sharp because the ALMA observations do not cover the entire rectangular area here.

ALMA Creates Largest-Ever Image of the Milky Way’s Core

February 25, 2026 at 8:00 am | News Release

Astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), of which the U.S. National Science Foundation National Radio Astronomy Observatory…

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