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 | 10/28/09: Blast from the Past Gives Clues About Early Universe. Astronomers using the National Science Foundation's Very Large Array (VLA) radio telescope have gained tantalizing insights into the nature of the most distant object ever observed in the Universe -- a gigantic stellar explosion known as a Gamma Ray Burst (GRB)... |
 | 9/23/09: ALMA Telescope Reaches New Heights. The ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array) astronomical observatory took another step forward and upward... |
 | 9/22/09: High-School Student Discovers Strange Astronomical Object. A West Virginia high-school student analyzing data from a giant radio telescope has discovered a new astronomical object — a strange type of neutron star called a rotating radio transient... |
 | 9/1/09: Precise Radio-Telescope Measurements Advance Frontier Gravitational Physics. Scientists using a continent-wide array of radio telescopes have made an extremely precise measurement of the curvature of space caused by the Sun's gravity, and their technique promises a major contribution to a frontier area of basic physics... |
 | 7/2/09: VLBA Locates Origin of Superenergetic Bursts Near Giant Black Hole. Using a worldwide combination of diverse telescopes, astronomers have discovered that a giant galaxy's bursts of very high energy gamma rays are coming from a region very close to the supermassive black hole at its core... |
 | 6/8/09: Radio Telescopes Extend Astronomy's Best "Yardstick," Provide Vital Tool for Unraveling Dark Energy Mystery. Radio astronomers have directly measured the distance to a faraway galaxy, providing a valuable "Yardstick," for calibrating large astronomical distances and demonstrating a vital method that could help determine the elusive nature of the mysterious Dark Energy that pervades the Universe... |
 | 5/21/09: "Missing Link" Revealing Fast-Spinning Pulsar Mysteries. Astronomers have discovered a unique double-star system that represents a "missing link" stage in what they believe is the birth process of the most rapidly-spinning stars in the Universe—millisecond pulsars... |
 | 5/6/09: ALMA Telescope Passes Major Milestone with Successful Antenna Link. The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), an immense international telescope project under construction in northern Chile, reached a major milestone on April 30, when two ALMA antennas were linked together as an integrated system to observe an astronomical object for the first time... |
 | 4/22/09: Astronomers Probe Active Galaxy Cores. Using the VLBA and the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, astronomers have solidified the link between the gamma-ray and radio emission from active galaxy nuclei... |
 | 4/2/09: The 2009 Grote Reber Gold Medal. The 2009 Grote Reber Gold Medal will be awarded to Dr. Barry Clark at a special ceremony on August 5, 2009, during the IAU General Assembly in Brazil... |
 | 2/12/09: Astronomers Unveiling Life's Cosmic Origins. Processes that laid the foundation for life on Earth -- star and planet formation and the production of complex organic molecules in interstellar space -- are yielding their secrets to astronomers armed with powerful new research tools, and even better tools soon will be available. Astronomers described three important developments at a symposium on the "Cosmic Cradle of Life" at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Chicago, IL... |
 | 2/6/09: First North American Antenna Enables Next Phase in Joint ALMA Observatory. Astronomers celebrated today the formal acceptance of the first North American antenna by the Joint ALMA Observatory. ALMA, the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, is a gathering armada of short-wavelength radio telescopes whose combined power will enable astronomers to probe with unprecedented sharpness phenomena and regions that are beyond the reach of visible-light telescopes. The observatory is being assembled high in the Chilean Andes by a global partnership... |
 | 1/6/09: Black Holes Lead Galaxy Growth, New Research Shows. Astronomers may have solved a cosmic chicken-and-egg problem -- the question of which formed first in the early Universe -- galaxies or the supermassive black holes seen at their cores... |
 | 1/5/09: Milky Way a Swifter Spinner, More Massive, New Measurements Show. Fasten your seat belts -- we're faster, heavier, and more likely to collide than we thought. Astronomers making high-precision measurements of the Milky Way say our home Galaxy is rotating about 100,000 miles per hour faster than previously understood... |
 | 12/19/08: NRAO Welcomes Taiwan as a New North American ALMA Partner. The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) has announced a formal agreement enabling Taiwanese astronomers to participate in the North American component of the international ALMA partnership, alongside American and Canadian astronomers. Taiwan's efforts will be led by the Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics (ASIAA)... |
 | 12/18/08: ALMA Observatory Equipped with its First Antenna. High in the Atacama region of northern Chile one of the world’s most advanced telescopes has just passed a major milestone. The first of many state-of-the-art antennas has been handed over to the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) project... |
 | 12/17/08: Astronomers Find Most Distant Water in the Universe. Astronomers have found the most distant water yet seen in the Universe, in a galaxy more than 11 billion light-years from Earth. Previously, the most distant water had been seen in a galaxy less than 7 billion light-years from Earth. Using the giant, 100-meter-diameter radio telescope in Effelsberg, Germany, and the National Science Foundation's Very Large Array (VLA) in New Mexico, the scientists detected a telltale radio "fingerprint" of water molecules in the distant galaxy... |
 | 10/20/08: Cosmic Lens Reveals Distant Galactic Violence. By cleverly unraveling the workings of a natural cosmic lens, astronomers have gained a rare glimpse of the violent assembly of a young galaxy in the early Universe. Their new picture suggests that the galaxy has collided with another, feeding a supermassive black hole and triggering a tremendous burst of star formation... |
 | 10/10/08: NRAO Welcomes New Assistant Director for Green Bank Operations. We are pleased to announce that Karen O'Neil has been named the new Assistant Director (AD) for Green Bank Operations, effective October 1... |
 | 10/8/08: New Research Center Will Free Chemistry from Earth's Bonds. A new research center combining the tools of chemistry and astronomy will use the unique laboratory of interstellar space to free the study of basic chemistry from the restrictive bonds of Earth. The Center for Chemistry of the Universe will allow scientists to explore new types of chemical reactions that occur under the extreme conditions of space. The center will combine laboratory experiments, theoretical studies, and radio-telescope observations to dramatically expand our understanding of the processes that build molecules that may "seed" young planets with the building blocks of life... |
 | 9/22/08: NRAO welcomes new Head of the North American ALMA Science Center. The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) has announced the appointment of Dr. Carol Jean Lonsdale as the Observatory's new Assistant Director for the North American ALMA Science Center (NAASC). As NAASC head, Lonsdale will lead the team that will enable North American astronomers to exploit the capabilities of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), a powerful new international astronomical facility under construction in the high-altitude Atacama Desert of northeastern Chile... |
 | 9/22/08: Frontiers of Astrophysics: A Celebration of NRAO's 50th Anniversary |
 | 8/15/08: WV Governor Joe Manchin III Visits Green Bank and the Governor's School for Mathematics and Science (Produced by Allegheny Mountain Radio). |
 | 8/12/08: High-Tech 'Heart' of New-Generation Radio Telescope Passes First Test. The Expanded Very Large Array (EVLA), part of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), took a giant step toward completion on August 7 with successful testing of advanced digital hardware designed to combine signals from its upgraded radio-telescope antennas to produce high resolution images of celestial objects... |
 | 7/3/08: Unique Stellar System Gives Einstein a Thumbs-Up. Taking advantage of a unique cosmic coincidence, astronomers have measured an effect predicted by Albert Einstein's theory of General Relativity in the extremely strong gravity of a pair of superdense neutron stars. The new data indicate that the famed physicist's 93-year-old theory has passed yet another test... Watch Videos |
 | 6/23/08: Radio Telescopes Reveal Unseen Galactic Cannibalism. Radio-telescope images have revealed previously-unseen galactic cannibalism — a triggering event that leads to feeding frenzies by gigantic black holes at the cores of galaxies... |
 | 6/19/08: VLA Data Featured on New Argentine Stamp. Issued in a series celebrating the 50th anniversary of Argentina's Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, this stamp shows supernova remnant W44 as imaged by the VLA and the Spitzer Space Telescope. Credit: C. Brogan (NRAO), G. Castelletti (IAFE), G. Dubner (IAFE), N. Kassim (NRL)... |
 | 6/2/08: Mining for Molecules in the Milky Way. Scientists are using the giant Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope (GBT) to go prospecting in a rich molecular cloud in our Milky Way Galaxy. They seek to discover new, complex molecules in interstellar space that may be precursors to life... |
 | 5/22/08: Radio Telescopes to Keep Sharp Eye on Mars Lander. As NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander descends through the Red Planet's atmosphere toward its landing on May 25, its progress will be scrutinized by radio telescopes from the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO). At NRAO control rooms in Green Bank, West Virginia, and Socorro, New Mexico, scientists, engineers and technicians will be tracking the faint signal from the lander, 171 million miles from Earth... |
 | 5/21/08: Luck Reveals Stellar Explosion's First Moments. Through a stroke of luck, astronomers have witnessed the first violent moments of a stellar explosion known as a supernova. Astronomers have seen thousands of these stellar explosions, but all previous supernovae were discovered days after the event had begun... |
 | 5/20/08: Phoenix Mars Lander Mission. NRAO telescopes and personnel will collaborate with NASA this Sunday, May 25, as the Phoenix Mars Lander enters the atmosphere of Mars and lands on the planet's surface at about 07:53 p.m. EDT... |
 | 5/19/08: Research Center Renaming Will Honor Senator Domenici. New Mexico Tech and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) will rename the observatory's research center on the New Mexico Tech campus to honor retiring U.S. Senator Pete V. Domenici in a ceremony on May 30... Watch YouTube Video... |
 | 5/15/08: Weird Stellar Pair Puzzles Scientists. Astronomers have discovered a speedy spinning pulsar in an elongated orbit around an apparent Sun-like star, a combination never seen before, and one that has them puzzled about how the strange system developed... |
 | 5/14/08: Youngest Stellar Explosion in Our Galaxy Discovered. Astronomers have found the remains of the youngest supernova, or exploded star, in our Galaxy. The supernova remnant, hidden behind a thick veil of gas and dust, was revealed by the National Science Foundation's Very Large Array (VLA) and NASA's Chandra X-Ray Observatory, which could see through the murk... |
 | 5/7/08: Distinguished Astronomer Awarded Jansky Lectureship. Associated Universities, Inc. (AUI), and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) have awarded the 2008 Karl G. Jansky Lectureship to Dr. Arthur M. Wolfe of the University of California, San Diego (UCSD)... |
 | 4/23/08: Radio Telescope Reveals Secrets of Massive Black Hole. At the cores of many galaxies, supermassive black holes expel powerful jets of particles at nearly the speed of light. Just how they perform this feat has long been one of the mysteries of astrophysics... Watch Video |
 | 4/16/08: Stellar Birth in Galactic Wilderness. The NRAO Very Large Array and NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer reveal surprising numbers of young stars being born in the outermost regions of the Southern Pinwheel galaxy, Messier 83... |
 | 2/18/08: Very Large Array Retooling for 21st-Century Science. An international project to make the world's most productive ground-based telescope 10 times more capable has reached its halfway mark and is on schedule to provide astronomers with an extremely powerful new tool for exploring the Universe... |
 | 2/15/08: World-Wide Effort Bringing ALMA Telescope Into Reality. In the thin, dry air of northern Chile's Atacama Desert, at an altitude of 16,500 feet, an amazing new telescope system is taking shape, on schedule to provide the world's astronomers with unprecedented views of the origins of stars, galaxies, and planets... |
 | 1/11/08: Massive Gas Cloud Speeding Toward Collision With Milky Way. A giant cloud of hydrogen gas is speeding toward a collision with our Milky Way Galaxy, and when it hits -- in less than 40 million years -- it may set off a spectacular burst of stellar fireworks... |
 | 1/10/08: New VLA Images Unlocking Galactic Mysteries. Astronomers have produced a scientific gold mine of detailed, high-quality images of nearby galaxies that is yielding important new insights into many aspects of galaxies, including their complex structures, how they form stars, the motions of gas in the galaxies, the relationship of "normal" matter to unseen "dark matter," and many others... |
 | 1/10/08: New Hydrogen Clouds in the M81 Group of Galaxies. A composite radio-optical image shows five new clouds of hydrogen gas discovered using the National Science Foundation's Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope (GBT). The spiral galaxy M81 and its satellite, M82, are seen in visible light (white); intergalactic hydrogen gas revealed by the GBT is shown in red; and additional hydrogen gas earlier detected by the Very Large Array is shown in green... |
 | 1/9/08: Radio Telescopes' Precise Measurements Yield Rich Scientific Payoffs. Having the sharpest pictures always is a big advantage, and a sophisticated radio-astronomy technique using continent-wide and even intercontinental arrays of telescopes is yielding extremely valuable scientific results in a wide range of specialties. That's the message delivered to the American Astronomical Society's meeting in Austin, Texas, by Mark Reid of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, a leading researcher in the field of ultra-precise astronomical position measurements... |
 | 1/8/08: Cosmic Radio Series Brings Celestial Science Down to Earth. A new series of short radio programs designed to bring the space-age science of radio astronomy down to Earth is being launched by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) and Allegheny Mountain Radio. The series, called Cosmic Radio, covers topics ranging from exciting recent scientific discoveries to how radio telescopes help explore the Universe, to the fascinating history of radio astronomy. |
 | 1/8/08: VLBA Movies Reveal New Details of Cosmic Jets. Astronomers have known for decades that supermassive black holes at the cores of galaxies can shoot out jets of subatomic particles at tremendous speeds. However, details about the physics of such jets, including how they are generated, how the high-speed flows are shaped into jets, and how fast the particles are moving, among many others, have remained elusive. |
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