AURA Astronomy

As President of AURA, I have been privileged to be part of a truly transformational period in astronomy. Together with all of AURA’s Centers, we have embarked on groundbreaking projects that are expanding our understanding of the Universe and, closer to home, revealing how the Sun’s magnetic fields channel energy into flares and heat the corona. The post Letter from AURA President Matt Mountain a…

AURA, headquartered in Washington D.C., manages world-class astronomical Centers for both the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Our Centers enable the next decade of astronomical discoveries through world-class facilities and science. The post About AURA appeared first on AURA Astronomy .

NSF NOIRLab is the preeminent U.S. national center for ground-based, nighttime optical and infrared astronomy. NOIRLab enables breakthrough discoveries in astrophysics by developing and operating state-of-the-art observatories and providing data products and services for the astronomical community. The post NSF NOIRLab appeared first on AURA Astronomy .

Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) is a multi-mission operations center for NASA’s flagship observatories and a world-class astronomical research center. Operated by AURA for NASA, STScI has helped guide the most famous observatory in history, the Hubble Space Telescope. The post Space Telescope Science Institute appeared first on AURA Astronomy .

The NSF National Solar Observatory (NSO) operates the world’s most extensive collection of ground-based optical and infrared solar telescopes and auxiliary instrumentation, allowing solar physicists to probe all aspects of the Sun. The post NSF National Solar Observatory appeared first on AURA Astronomy .

NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory, currently under construction by AURA on Cerro Pachón in Chile, is an 8-meter-class telescope coupled to a 3200 megapixels camera – the world’s largest digital camera ever fabricated for optical astronomy. Rubin Observatory will bring the sky to life and revolutionize the way we explore the cosmos. The post NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory Construction appeared …

AURA’s mission includes promoting public understanding of our universe and the benefits of scientific exploration. Our talented education and public outreach teams at each of the AURA managed Centers and projects lead this work. The post Education and Outreach appeared first on AURA Astronomy .

May 27 AURA Stats and Locations

In late April astronomers from across the U.S. and Chile gathered in Tucson, Arizona for the 2026 AURA Annual Meeting. Held each Spring, the meeting brings together representatives from AURA’s 51 member institutions to elect governance positions, discuss astronomy topics, attend open houses, network with colleagues, interact with AURA leadership, and share science results. The post 2026 AURA Annu…

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has elected Dr. Jennifer Lotz, director of the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Maryland, and 448 other AAAS members as Fellows of the AAAS. Election as an AAAS Fellow is a lifetime honor bestowed upon select AAAS members by their peers for their efforts to advance science or its applications. The post STScI Dir…

New Jersey Institute of Technology Dale Gary was formerly a Distinguished Professor of Physics at the New Jersey Institute of Technology and the Director of the Expanded Owens Valley Solar Array radio facility, which he designed and built.  His Ph.D. Degree is in AstroGeophysics from the University of Colorado, Boulder.  His research interests include high-energy […] The post Dale Gary appeared f…

Scientists at NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory, jointly funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science, have submitted an unprecedented set of asteroid detections to the IAU Minor Planet Center, including hundreds of distant worlds beyond Neptune and 33 previously unknown near-Earth asteroids. The post Early Data from NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Ob…

Using the NSF Daniel k. Inouye solar telescope, scientists captured highly detailed measurements of a fading solar flare. The findings reveal gaps in current models of how flares heat the sun’s lower atmosphere, pointing to the need for more comprehensive theories. The post New Solar Flare Observations Challenge Leading Theories appeared first on AURA Astronomy .

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and Hubble Space Telescope have teamed up to capture new views of Saturn, revealing the planet in strikingly different ways. Observing in complementary wavelengths of light, the two space observatories provide scientists with a richer, more layered understanding of the gas giant’s atmosphere. The post NASA Webb, Hubble Share Most Comprehensive Telescopic View of …

In a happy twist of fate, NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope just witnessed a comet in the act of breaking apart. The chance of that happening while Hubble watched is extraordinarily minuscule The post NASA’s Hubble Unexpectedly Catches Comet Breaking Up appeared first on AURA Astronomy .

Astronomers have discovered one of the most chemically primitive stars ever identified — an ancient stellar relic that preserves the chemical imprint of the very first stars in the Universe. This star, named PicII-503, resides in the tiny, ultra-faint dwarf galaxy Pictor II. The post Extremely Rare Second-Generation Star Discovered Inside Ancient Relic Dwarf Galaxy appeared first on AURA Astronom…

NSF NOIRLab, funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation, has completed end-to-end runs of its ecosystem for following up on alerts from NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory. The runs demonstrated how multiple NOIRLab-developed software tools, plus a network of telescopes around the globe, will enable quick follow-up observations of the countless transient objects that Rubin will uncover during i…

Observations from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope—built and managed by the NSF National Solar Observatory (NSF NSO) on Maui, Hawai‘i—are now offering a closer look than ever before. The post Uncovering the Waves That Power the Sun’s Outer Atmosphere appeared first on AURA Astronomy .

Two heads are better than one in the latest images from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, which reveal new detail in a mysterious, little-studied nebula surrounding a dying star. The post NASA’s Webb Examines Cranium Nebula appeared first on AURA Astronomy .

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has topped itself once again, delivering on its promise to push the boundaries of the observable universe closer to cosmic dawn with the confirmation of a bright galaxy that existed 280 million years after the big bang. By now Webb has established that it will eventually surpass virtually every benchmark it sets in these early years, but the newly confirmed galax…