National Radio Astronomy Observatory – Revealing the Hidden Universe

Astronomy has shown us striking images of galaxies, star clusters, and vast glowing nebula. But for many scientists, that is not where the excitement lies.
For astronomers who study the chemistry of the cosmos, the most intriguing discoveries are found in the light itself. Spikes and dips at specific parts of the spectrum tell us what kinds of atoms and molecules are present in stars and the places where...

Last June 2018, a group of astronomy educators, under the auspices of the National Science Foundation’s Astronomy in Chile Educator Ambassadors Program, headed to the Atacama Desert to improve their outreach skills and stargaze in the driest desert in...

Radio astronomy and amateur radio have a close historical connection, and one theme of the hamfest VLA tour is to emphasize that connection. On October 19, NRAO hosted attendees of the Socorro Hamfest, a gathering of amateur “ham” radio operators, for...

How do we know what’s going on in protoplanetary disks?  Visible light telescopes don’t reveal much, because the thick dust obscures their view.  Luckily, each kind of molecule in a protoplanetary disk broadcast at unique sets of wavelengths that can...