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NEWS + FEATURES

Galactic Mystery: How “Ice Cubes” Survive in the Milky Way’s Blazing Bubbles
7 July 2025
Galactic Mystery: How “Ice Cubes” Survive in the Milky Way’s Blazing Bubbles

A team of astronomers has made a surprising discovery using the U.S. National Science Foundation Green Bank Telescope (NSF…

ALMA Reveals Stunning Details of Infant Galaxies in the Early Universe
1 July 2025
ALMA Reveals Stunning Details of Infant Galaxies in the Early…
Protecting the Cosmos: NSF NRAO Leads Critical Spectrum Studies to Safeguard Radio Astronomy
24 June 2025
Protecting the Cosmos: NSF NRAO Leads Critical Spectrum Studies to…
Largest Oort Cloud Comet Ever Observed Reveals Its Secrets with ALMA’s Powerful Gaze
16 June 2025
Largest Oort Cloud Comet Ever Observed Reveals Its Secrets with…
Unusual stellar nurseries near our galaxy’s center puzzle scientists
13 June 2025
Unusual stellar nurseries near our galaxy’s center puzzle scientists
ALMA Reveals Lives of Planet-Forming Disks
13 June 2025
ALMA Reveals Lives of Planet-Forming Disks
From Stardust to Stone: Windswept Grains Hold Clues to Planet’s Beginnings
12 June 2025
From Stardust to Stone: Windswept Grains Hold Clues to Planet’s…
NASA’s Chandra and the U.S. National Science Foundation Very Large Array See Surprisingly Strong Black Hole Jet at Cosmic “Noon”
11 June 2025
NASA’s Chandra and the U.S. National Science Foundation Very Large…
Texas Tech University System and NSF NRAO Forge Cosmic Alliance in West Texas
11 June 2025
Texas Tech University System and NSF NRAO Forge Cosmic Alliance…
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NRAO TELESCOPES

Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array
ALMA

Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array

The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array in the Atacama Desert, Chile, is the most complex observatory ever built.

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Very Long Baseline Array
VLBA

Very Long Baseline Array

The Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) is ten radio telescopes stationed across 5,351 miles. It’s the world’s sharpest, dedicated telescope array.

Photo of ten VLA antennas pointing at a cloudy sky at twilight.
VLA

Very Large Array

The VLA is the most advanced radio telescope array on Earth, a customizable interferometer that spans up to 22 miles across.

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NRAO BLOGS

Texas Tech University System and NSF NRAO Forge Cosmic Alliance in West Texas
NSF NRAO Brings the Night Sky to You
Jason Schreiner |
3 January 2025

The U.S. National Science Foundation National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NSF NRAO) took the Observatory’s new portable Starlab planetarium on…

Texas Tech University System and NSF NRAO Forge Cosmic Alliance in West Texas
NSF NRAO Names Native Nations Engagement Lead

Danielle Rowland, Senior Broadening Participation Programs Manager, was recently appointed as Native Nations Engagement Lead of the U.S. National…

Texas Tech University System and NSF NRAO Forge Cosmic Alliance in West Texas
North Liberty, Iowa: The NSF VLBA’s Only Midwestern Radio Telescope

Nestled in the woods near North Liberty, Iowa, this antenna can’t be seen from the road, but is occasionally…

Texas Tech University System and NSF NRAO Forge Cosmic Alliance in West Texas
How to Safely View the Eclipse

Are you planning on viewing the solar eclipse on April 8, 2024?  Please make sure you are doing so…

Texas Tech University System and NSF NRAO Forge Cosmic Alliance in West Texas
Eclipses and Exoplanets

Transit Method  When a planet passes directly between a star and its observer, it dims the star’s light by…

Texas Tech University System and NSF NRAO Forge Cosmic Alliance in West Texas
Learning Shines Brightly at SuperKnova

SuperKnova is a project to provide learning opportunities in radio technology for students in a way that is inclusive…

Texas Tech University System and NSF NRAO Forge Cosmic Alliance in West Texas
Owens Valley: Radio Astronomy in the Land of Sky and Stream

Three million years ago the fault regions of the Sierra Nevada and White Mountains began their thunderous rise. Their…

Texas Tech University System and NSF NRAO Forge Cosmic Alliance in West Texas
Hidden Giants

University of the West Indies student Brianna Sampson finds than more than a thousand Giant Radio Galaxies could be hidden in the data of a radio sky survey.

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#RADIOIMAGEOFTHEWEEK

Aircraft Lights Atop the VLA

Aircraft Lights Atop the VLA

In the early days of the Very Large Array, each 25-meter antenna had an aircraft warning light set atop its feed.
See Past Images of the Week

NRAO Making Waves

Announcements and Achievements

  • NSF’s ongoing technical coordination with satellite constellation operators

    The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) has announced a new coordination agreement with AST SpaceMobile to address the impact…

  • The Very Large Array to Host Fall Open House on October 12, 2024

    The U.S. National Science Foundation National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NSF NRAO) is thrilled to invite the public to the NSF Very Large Array (NSF VLA) Fall Open House on Saturday, October 12, 2024, from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm.

  • Engineers Descend upon DC for International Microwave Symposium, NRAO Will Exhibit, Scientist to Receive Pioneer Award

    NRAO and the Central Development Laboratory (CDL) will showcase the latest developments in radio instrumentation technology at the 2024 International Microwave Symposium, where NRAO scientist Marian Pospieszalski will be awarded the 2024 Microwave Pioneer Award.

  • NAC Alum Awarded NSF Graduate Research Fellowship

    Carlos Ortiz Quintana, an alumnus of the National Astronomy Consortium (NAC) at NRAO, has been awarded a five-year fellowship…

See Past Announcements

EXPLORE + LEARN

Explore
Role Models

Hear from folks who work at NRAO about the many paths we’ve taken to get here. You don’t have to be a scientist or engineer to be part of our exciting mission!

Learn
Basics Technology Tryptic
The Technology of Radio Astronomy

How Do Radio Telescopes Work? Think of a radio telescope as a very specialized antenna outfitted with . In…

Learn
dark energy
The Mysterious Dark Energy

Dark Energy has become the largest factor in the equations that may govern the Universe.

Connect with NRAO

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The National Radio Astronomy Observatory is a facility of the U.S. National Science Foundation operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc.
Founded in 1956, the NRAO provides state-of-the-art radio telescope facilities for use by the international scientific community. NRAO telescopes are open to all astronomers regardless of institutional or national affiliation. Observing time on NRAO telescopes is available on a competitive basis to qualified scientists after evaluation of research proposals on the basis of scientific merit, the capability of the instruments to do the work, and the availability of the telescope during the requested time. NRAO also provides both formal and informal programs in education and public outreach for teachers, students, the general public, and the media.
The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency created by Congress in 1950 "to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense..."
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