lowest possible emissivity) telescopes, for optimal infrared observing from the ground. To provide the cleanest possible (i.e.To provide the best image quality possible from the ground for telescopes of their size.Twin telescopes in both hemispheres provide participant members with access to the entire sky.Travel information for Gemini North is available here.įor scientists: More details can be found on the science telescope page. Since 2002 Gemini North has also been known as the Frederick C.

Gemini is also unique among other 8-10 meter class observatories in that the telescopes can be (and usually are in the case of Gemini North) operated fully remotely from our base facilities.

The Gemini North telescope is one of several telescopes near the summit (or in the summit area) of Maunakea, which is considered spiritual by a portion of the native Hawaiian community. This means that switching from one instrument to another takes a matter of minutes to complete before being capable of taking data on the next science target. The Gemini telescopes have a suite of 4 optical and infrared, imagers and spectrographs, mounted on the back of the telescopes at the same time (as well as the acquisition and guidance instruments). The measured surface accuracy is 15.6 nm (rms). Each mirror blank was then shipped to REOSC Optique in Paris, France, for polishing of its reflecting surface to that of a concave hyperboloid. Each was made from 55 blocks of low expansion (ULE-581) glass fused together at 1700 degrees C and slumped at Corning's Canton, New York facility. The mirrors are f/1.8, 8.1 m diameter, 20 cm thick meniscus, and weighs 22,200 kg. Gemini’s twin telescopes are optimized for observing in the mid-infrared with silver-coated mirrors, an extremely light structure for the secondary, and a light baffle (used when observing in the optical) which can be closed for observing in the infrared. The Gemini Observatory's international headquarters is located in Hilo, Hawai‘i at the University of Hawaii Hilo's University Park. 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. Both of the Gemini telescopes have been designed to excel in a wide variety of optical and infrared capabilities. The North telescope is located on Hawaii‘s Maunakea as part of the international community of observatories built to take advantage of the superb atmospheric conditions on this long-dormant volcano which rises about 4214 meters (13,825 feet) into the dry, stable air of the Pacific. 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.

A number of public visits to our sites are now open, including the exclusive Overnight Telescope Observing Program at Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona, and tours of NOIRLab Headquarters in Tucson, Arizona, the Gemini Hilo Base Facility in Hawai‘i and the AURA Recinto in La Serena, Chile.

Gemini meaning