The Chamaeleon Infrared Nebula | Gemini South Telescope

The Chamaeleon Infrared Nebula | Gemini South Telescope

This ethereal image, captured from Chile by the international Gemini Observatory, a Program of the National Science Foundation's NOIRLab, looks as delicate as a butterfly’s wing. It is, however, a structure known as the Chamaeleon Infrared Nebula. It is located near the center of the even larger Chamaeleon I dark cloud—one of the nearest star-forming regions in our Milky Way galaxy.

The International Gemini Observatory consists of twin 8.1-meter diameter optical/infrared telescopes located on two of the best observing sites on the planet. The Gemini South telescope is located on a mountain in the Chilean Andes called Cerro Pachón, where very dry air and negligible cloud cover make this another prime telescope location. Both of the Gemini telescopes have been designed to excel in a wide variety of optical and infrared capabilities. By incorporating technologies such as laser guide star adaptive optics and multi-object spectroscopy, astronomers in the Gemini partnership explore the universe in unprecedented depth and detail.

Learn more about the Gemini South Telescope:

https://noirlab.edu/public/programs/gemini-observatory/gemini-south/

Credit: International Gemini Observatory / NOIRLab / NSF / AURA 

Acknowledgments: Image Processing: T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF’s NOIRLab), J. Miller (Gemini Observatory/NSF’s NOIRLab), M. Zamani (NSF’s NOIRLab) & D. de Martin (NSF’s NOIRLab)

Release Date: Dec. 7, 2021

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