Multimedia Gallery
First snow of the year at the Gemini
First snow of the year at the Gemini facility, Mauna Kea, Hawaii.
More about this Image
Gemini is an international partnership involving the U.S., the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Chile, Brazil and Argentina. The project involves the operation of two 8-meter telescopes: One in the Northern Hemisphere on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, and one in the Southern Hemisphere on Cerro Pachon, Chile.
The twin telescopes are infrared-optimized, have superb image quality, and provide unprecedented optical and infrared coverage of the northern and southern skies for astronomical research. Scientific operations began on Gemini North in 2000 and on Gemini South in summer 2001.
These telescopes provide astronomers from the partnership countries with world-class observing facilities. Observing time is assigned on the basis of scientific merit. NSF acts as the executive agency for the partnership, and the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy Inc., a consortium of 20 major universities, manages Gemini. (Year of image: 1997)
Credit: NOAO/AURA/NSF
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