NOIRLab
 | This article may rely excessively on sources too closely associated with the subject, potentially preventing the article from being verifiable and neutral. (August 2020) |
 NOIRLab logo[1] | |
| Motto | Discovering Our Universe Together |
|---|---|
| Established | 2019 |
Field of research | Astronomy |
| Director | Patrick McCarthy[2] |
Deputy Director | Stuartt Corder[3] |
| Location | Tucson, Arizona, United States |
Sponsoring agency | National Science Foundation |
Operating agency | Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy |
| Website | noirlab |
The National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory (NOIRLab[pronunciation?]) is the United States' national facility for ground-based, night-time optical and infrared astronomy. It is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA), as a federally funded research and development center.
NOIRLab runs four observatories and a center for scientific software and research data archiving. It provides access to observing time for astronomers affiliated with any US institution.
History
[edit]NOIRLab was formed in 2019 by the merger of three predecessor organizations, which were all managed by AURA and funded by NSF. They were:
- The National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO), which managed Kitt Peak Observatory in Arizona, Cerro Tololo Observatory in Chile, and the Community Science and Data Center
- The Gemini Observatory, which operated Gemini North in Hawaii and Gemini South in Chile
- The Vera C. Rubin Observatory, which was constructing the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope in Chile
On October 1, 2019, these three organizations merged their operations to form NOIRLab.[4]
Organization
[edit]![[icon]](/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (December 2024) |
AURA operates the NOIRLab and its facilities under a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation (NSF).[5]
Facilities
[edit] | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (December 2024) |
NOIRLab operates the following facilities:
- Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory
- Community Science & Data Center
- Gemini Observatory
- Kitt Peak National Observatory
- Vera C. Rubin Observatory
References
[edit]- ^ "NOIRLab logo". Retrieved 27 August 2020.
- ^ "Leadership". noirlab.edu. Retrieved 2023-01-22.
- ^ "Stuartt Corder Appointed NOIRLab Deputy Director and AURA Mission Scientist in Chile - Stuartt Corder will start as Deputy Director of NOIRLab and AURA Mission Scientist in Chile on 7 November". www.noirlab.edu. Retrieved 2023-01-22.
- ^ "NSF's National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory Launched". 2019-10-01. Retrieved 2020-09-11.
- ^ "NOIRLab". AURA Astronomy. Retrieved 2020-09-11.
| Programs | | |
|---|---|---|
| Telescopes and Instruments | ||
| People | ||
- Astronomical observatories in the United States
- Astronomical observatories in Chile
- Astronomy institutes and departments
- Federally Funded Research and Development Centers
- Science and technology in the United States
- Astronomy in the United States
- Organizations based in Tucson, Arizona
- National Science Foundation
- NOIRLab
- Scientific organizations established in 2019
- 2019 establishments in Arizona