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7 Marzo 2003: Located in the constellation Coma Berenices, M100 (also known as NGC4321) is one of the brighter galaxies in the Virgo Cluster. The presence of many young stars give the arms of this spiral galaxy a blue appearance. This image was taken December 20, 2002 at the WIYN 0.9-meter telescope on Kitt Peak.

26 Febrero 2003: The Gemini Near-infrared Imager (NIRI) has been working reliably and delivering excellent images at wavelengths between 1 and 5 microns. In one NIRI program, very sharp images (0.35 arcsecs FWHM without adaptive optics correction) of 11 different sub-regions of the nearby spiral galaxy M33 were collected over a period of two nights in September 2002. The infrared NIRI images probe through the intervening dust in M33 and allow us a clear view of the many evolved giant stars in this galaxy. In the inset infrared (IR) image, 22,000 individual giant stars were detected and measured. The image on the left shows what this same field looks like at visible wavelengths with a seeing of 0.75 arcsecs (FWHM). The dust seen in the optical image all but disappears in the NIRI IR image (a composite of 1.6 and 2.1 micron images). Taking a census of the stars in other galaxies is …

17 Febrero 2003: This month’s Hubble Heritage image of the Dumbbell Nebula is superimposed onto a WIYN image of M27, highlighting the differences in the field of view of the two telescopes. The Heritage site features several other supplemental ground-based images from WIYN and the Mayall 4-meter telescope.

12 Febrero 2003: The tightest orbiting brown dwarf companion ever seen has been discovered orbiting the low mass star LHS 2397a, using adaptive optics on Gemini North. The faint companion completes its orbit around the parent star at a distance of about 3 astronomical units (AUs) every 20 years. The images above show LHS 2397a in four bandpasses. The first image on the left is an optical image in the I Band obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) on April 12, 1997. The brown dwarf is seen as the very faint object at nine o'clock and is very difficult to detect in this unenhanced image. The next three images were obtained using adaptive optics in the near infrared (J, H and K' bands) on Gemini North five years later (February 7, 2002). The Gemini images use a Fourier filter to enhance the visibility of the companion, hence the presence of the companion …

29 Enero 2003: This unusual image was created from five frames imaged with filters covering a narrow range of wavelengths. The color changes across filaments are indicative of physical changes in the bright emission nebula.

28 Enero 2003: Today, in a live videoconference connecting Hawai`i with Chile, the six teachers selected to participate in the Gemini Observatory StarTeachers Exchange Program were officially announced. During the event, the 3 teachers from each location met and shared some of their ideas for the exchange using the same advanced high-speed internet videoconferencing technology that they will use to present lessons to their students back home during the exchange. The Hawai`i teachers are scheduled to visit their colleagues in Chile for two weeks in March and the Chilean teachers will make a reciprocal visit to Hawai`i in October 2003. The three Big Island StarTeachers selected are Kristen Luning, Chairperson of the Math Department at Keaau High School; Alicia Hui, a fifth grade teacher at Haili Christian School; and Christine Copes, a math and Resource Teacher at Waiakea Elementary School. The three Chilean teachers are Carmen Luz Briones, Viviana Calderon and Jenny Opazo. …

21 Enero 2003: Violent bush fires ravaging Canberra destroyed most of the facilities at the Stromlo Observatory. Fortunately there were no additional human injuries or casualties. More details on the loss of Gemini's Near-Infrared Integral Field Spectrograph can be found at the links below. Astronomy projects in ruins as observatory obliterated Aussie Fires Destroy Mount Stromlo Observatory Australian fire felt in Hilo Gemini Near-Infrared Integral-Field Spectrograph (NIFS): Destroyed by Bushfire January 2003 Historic Australian observatory gutted The Mount Stromlo Fires: A Major Heritage Loss For Australian Astronomy Mount Stromlo Observatory Destroyed by Fire Pictures of the aftermath of the fire of Saturday, 18 January 2003, at Mount Stromlo Observatory

9 Enero 2003: Gemini South Assistant Astronomer Dr. Michael Ledlow has helped confirm the existence of a giant, subatomic particle jet streaming from a spiral galaxy similar to the Milky Way. Though long known to be associated with elliptical and merging galaxies, the discovery of such jets streaming from a spiral galaxy raises significant questions about current theories on jet production. The discovery was made possible by the combination of radio, optical and infrared observations. The findings were reported at the American Astronomical Society's meeting in Seattle. Dr. Ledlow's infrared work at Gemini South was instrumental in complementing research by the team leader, Dr. William Keel with the University of Alabama, and Dr. Frazer Owen with the National Radio Astronomy Observatory. The galaxy, known as 0313-192, first came to the attention of Dr. Owen more than 20 years ago during a galaxy survey he conducted using the Very Large Array (VLA). Gemini South's …

8 Enero 2003: Found in the harsh environment of the Carina Nebula, using the Blanco telescope.

26 Diciembre 2002: The SOAR (SOuthern Astrophysical Research) telescope dome on snow covered Cerro Pachon.

18 Diciembre 2002: The Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS) at Gemini South Gemini South took delivery of GMOS-S in November 2002 and is preparing to install it on the telescope for commissioning very early in 2003. It is anticipated that GMOS-S will be available during semester 2003B in both imaging and several spectroscopic modes. Like its twin that began observations in 2001 on Gemini North, GMOS-S was built as a collaboration between Canada (HIA), and the UK (Astronomical Technology Centre at ROE and University of Durham). The GMOS detector system was provided by the US (National Optical Astronomy Observatory). The two GMOSs are the primary instruments for optical (0.36-1.10 µm) slit/multi-slit/integral field spectroscopy as well as imaging (5.5 arcmin field of view) on the Gemini telescopes. Michelle at Gemini North The facility mid-infrared imager and spectrometer Michelle arrived at Gemini North in the first week of December, however, Michelle did not arrive from the …

16 Diciembre 2002: Many detailed features in this spiral galaxy in the constellation Canes Venatici have been brought out by drastically compressed image mapping: an extremely bright inner region surrounded by a blue ring of young star clusters, a fainter yellowish region of older stars also surrounded by traces of young stars, and even further out, a very much fainter outer ring.

2 Diciembre 2002: The Large Magellanic Cloud, a small satellite galaxy at a distance of about 50,000 parsecs, is a prime target in which to probe the chemical evolution of stars. Because this galaxy has a different star formation history than our own galaxy, the properties of its stars are different. Variations in galaxy evolution can lead to differences in chemical composition, which result in stars that noticeably differ in the later phases of their evolution. Measuring and understanding these chemical differences help unravel the physics of the complexes processes of nuclear burning and mixing that take place in the red giant and later phases. Within a given stellar population in a galaxy, chemical evolution is driven primarily by stellar nucleosynthesis, with the dispersal of the processed material back into the galactic interstellar medium (ISM). This heavy-element enrichment over time depends on such processes as star formation history, internal stellar evolution and nucleosynthesis …

25 Noviembre 2002: his revealing image combines optical data from the 0.9-meter telescope on Kitt Peak with radio data from the Very Large Array in New Mexico and the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope in the Netherlands.

14 Noviembre 2002: Marian Gillett, right, with her children, Michael Gillett and Denuta Gessner, stand before the plaque which honors her deceased husband, Dr. Fred Gillett (inset), in a naming ceremony of the Gemini North telescope, November 13, 2002, on Mauna Kea, Hawai'i.

7 Noviembre 2002: This excellent image of M27, a planetary nebula in the constellation of Vulpecula, was taken at the 3.5-meter WIYN telescope using the Mini-Mosaic imager.

6 Noviembre 2002: Approximately 110 astronomers will meet in Kona during November 3-8, 2002, to discuss the nucleus of our Milky Way. Called "The Central 300 Parsecs," the conference has been locally organized mainly by Gemini-North staff and is sponsored by Gemini and several other observatories on Mauna Kea. Gravity and frictional forces inevitably cause the centers of galaxies to acquire mass densities much higher than that of the outer regions. Even a normal-looking spiral galaxy such as ours might be expected to contain almost the entire galactic astronomical zoo: stars of all masses and evolutionary states, white dwarfs, nebulae, dust clouds, neutron stars, and even black holes - all packed together in a tight swarm. The nucleus of our galaxy is already known to contain a wide variety of astrophysical phenomena. Although it is 25,000 light years away, it is by far both the nearest and brightest galactic nucleus. Thus it can …

6 Noviembre 2002: Perhaps flung from the Galactic Center's innermost cluster of hot stars some 20,000 years ago, the massive star IRS-8 is moving at supersonic speed through high density gas. Located 8000 parsecs from the Sun in the direction of Sagittarius, the nucleus of the Milky Way is host to numerous high energy phenomena including a supermassive black hole of approximately three million solar masses which defines the dynamic center of our galaxy. The nucleus also contains a number of young clusters of recently formed hot and massive stars, peculiar radio-emitting filaments of ionized gas, supernova remnants, and a number of bright and compact objects whose natures and origins are unclear. Because of the high dust content along the line of sight to the Galactic Center, it has been impossible to observe this region at ultraviolet and optical wavelengths. New tools such as infrared array detectors combined with adaptive optics on large …

22 Octubre 2002: An unobtrusive arc of blue stars stretching above the iconic galaxy Centaurus A represents the lingering signature of an episode of galactic cannibalism that is surprisingly recent and, astronomically speaking, quite nearby.

10 Octubre 2002: Tucson Mayor Robert Walkup and three students from the Indian Oasis Middle School in Sells cut the ribbon at the official opening night of the Space Weather Center exhibit at the Kitt Peak Visitor Center.