News – Page 9 – National Radio Astronomy Observatory

Home
chevron_right

Latest NRAO News

News is managed by NRAO News & Public Information. Questions about News? Have a story to share? Want to interview a scientist or create new media about our telescopes?

Media Resourcesarrow_outward

RSS

Showing news items 81 - 90 of 977

This is an annotated composite image of Cloud-9, a Reionization-Limited H I Cloud (RELHIC), as captured by the Hubble Space Telescope’s ACS (Advanced Camera for Surveys) and the ground-based U.S. National Science Foundation Very Large Array (NSF VLA) radio telescope.

The image shows a scale bar, compass arrows, and color key for reference.
The scale bar is labeled in light-years along the top, which is the distance that light travels in one Earth-year. (It takes 2,000 years for light to travel a distance equal to the length of the scale bar.) One light-year is equal to about 5.88 trillion miles or 9.46 trillion kilometers.

The scale bar is also labeled in arcseconds, which is a measure of angular distance on the sky. One arcsecond is equal an angular measurement of 1/3600 of one degree. There are 60 arcseconds in an arcminute and 60 arcminutes in a degree. (The full Moon has an angular diameter of about 30 arcminutes.) The actual size of an object that covers one arcsecond on the sky depends on its distance from the telescope.

The north and east compass arrows show the orientation of the image on the sky. Note that the relationship between north and east on the sky (as seen from below) is flipped relative to direction arrows on a map of the ground (as seen from above).

This image shows wavelengths of light, including radio waves, that have been translated into visible-light colors. The color key shows the two ACS filters used to collect the light, along with the NSF VLA’s radio-wave contribution. A color key shows F606W in blue, F814W in orange, and Radio NSF VLA in magenta.

NSF NRAO Radio Telescopes Help Reveal Cloud-9, a Starless Dark-Matter “Failed Galaxy” Near M94

January 5, 2026 at 7:15 am | News Release

Astronomers using a powerful combination of radio and optical telescopes have confirmed that a peculiar gas cloud near the spiral galaxy M94 is a “failed” galaxy; a dark-matter-dominated halo filled with gas but entirely lacking stars.

The U.S. National Science Foundation Very Large Array on the plains of San Agustin, New Mexico

Hidden Giants of the Early Universe: NSF NRAO Telescopes Help Reveal Divergent Fates of the Most Massive Galaxies

January 5, 2026 at 7:15 am | News Release

Astronomers using the U.S. National Science Foundation National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NSF NRAO) instruments Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and, the U.S. National Science Foundation Very Large Array (NSF VLA), and the W. M. Keck Observatory have uncovered the hidden lives of some of the most massive galaxies in the early Universe, revealing that while some shut down star formation quickly, others continue forming stars behind thick veils of cosmic dust.

Illustration of a young star system seen edge-on in space, with a dark, dusty disk cutting horizontally across the center and glowing orange clumps along the disk that suggest sites of active star formation. Bright white and gray gas flows extend above and below the disk like broad cones or jets, fading into the deep blue background of space. Soft, scattered stars of varying brightness surround the scene.

ALMA Devours Cosmic “Hamburger,” Reveals Potential for Giant Planet Formation

January 5, 2026 at 4:27 am | News Release

Have you ever found something unexpected in your hamburger? Astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) were surprised…

the Phoenix Convention Center building is shown with a large metal awning over the doors, lights are seen through the large glass windows.

NSF NRAO Showcases Breakthrough Radio Astronomy at AAS 247 in Phoenix

December 31, 2025 at 8:00 am | News Release

The U.S. National Science Foundation National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NSF NRAO) will showcase its instruments, projects, and staff at…

Artist's impression of a rare trio of merging galaxies, J121/1219+1035, which host three actively feeding, radio-bright supermassive black holes and whose jets light up the surrounding gas.

Radio Black Hole Trio Lights Up in Rare Galaxy Merger

December 23, 2025 at 2:44 pm | News Release

Astronomers from the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), in conjunction with scientists from the U.S. Naval Observatory (USNO) and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (NASA GSFC), using U.S. National Science Foundation National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NSF NRAO) instruments have confirmed the first known triple system in which all three galaxies host actively feeding, radio-bright supermassive black holes.

A nighttime view of a high-altitude radio observatory shows several large parabolic antennas silhouetted against a dark plateau, while the bright, star-filled band of the Milky Way arches dramatically across the sky overhead.

Super Massive Black Holes May Be Picky Eaters

December 19, 2025 at 7:38 am | News Release

Black holes are notorious for gobbling up everything that comes their way, but astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter…

Showing news items 81 - 90 of 977

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.