NSF’s NOIRLab (National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory) is a United States

federally funded research and development center Federally funded research and development centers (FFRDCs) are public-private partnerships that conduct research and development for the United States Government. Under Federal Acquisition Regulationbr>§ 35.017 FFRDCs are operated by unive ...

for ground-based, nighttime optical and infrared astronomy.

History

Before the foundation of the NOIRLab, NSF-sponsored optical-infrared ground-based astronomical facilities were managed by the

Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy The Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) is a consortium of universities and other institutions that operates astronomical observatories and telescopes. Founded October 10, 1957, with the encouragement of the National Sc ...

(AURA), but were structured as separate organizations. These were the

National Optical Astronomy Observatory The National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO) was the United States national observatory for ground-based nighttime ultraviolet-optical-infrared (OUVIR) astronomy. The National Science Foundation (NSF) funded NOAO to provide forefront astronom ...

(NOAO), which managed Kitt Peak, Cerro Tololo and the Community Science and Data Center (CSDC). AURA managed

Gemini Observatory The Gemini Observatory is an astronomical observatory consisting of two 8.1-metre (26.6 ft) telescopes, Gemini North and Gemini South, which are located at two separate sites in Hawaii and Chile, respectively. The twin Gemini telescopes prov ...

as well as the

Vera C. Rubin Observatory The Vera C. Rubin Observatory, previously referred to as the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST), is an astronomical observatory currently under construction in Chile. Its main task will be carrying out a synoptic astronomical survey, the L ...

, then under construction.

Organization

The Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc. (AURA) operates the NOIRLab and its facilities under a cooperative agreement with the

National Science Foundation The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent agency of the United States government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National I ...

(NSF).

Programs

NOIRLab operates the following programs: *

Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory The Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) is an astronomical observatory located on Cerro Tololo in the Coquimbo Region of northern Chile, with additional facilities located on Cerro Pachón about to the southeast. It is approximately ...

* Community Science & Data Center *

Kitt Peak National Observatory The Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO) is a United States astronomy, astronomical observatory located on Kitt Peak of the Quinlan Mountains in the Arizona-Sonoran Desert on the Tohono Oʼodham Nation, west-southwest of Tucson, Arizona. With ...

References

{{Portal bar, United States, Stars, Spaceflight, Solar System, Education, Science 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 Research in the United States National Science Foundation NOIRLab Scientific organizations established in 2019 2019 establishments in Arizona