AURA Centers
AURA OBSERVATORY (AURA-O) - AURA-O is the
primary representative in Chile for AURA and all
facilities operating or wishing to operate on its
property. The facilities include National Optical
Astronomy Observatory (Cerro Tololo Inter-American
Observatory), Gemini South, Southern Astrophysical
Research (SOAR) Telescope and such other observatory
operations functioning under the auspices of AURA in
Chile.
GEMINI OBSERVATORY - The Gemini Observatory
is an international partnership to operate twin
8.1-meter telescopes, one on Hawaii's Mauna Kea and
the other on Chile's Cerro Pachon. The partners
include the United States, Canada,
Chile, Australia, Brazil, and Argentina. AURA
manages Gemini under the auspices of the
International Gemini Board and the
U.S.
National Science Foundation as its executive
agency.
LARGE SYNOPTIC SURVEY TELESCOPE (LSST) - The LSST is a public-private partnership to operate an
8.4-meter telescope on Chile’s Cerro Pachon. The partnership includes funding agencies, private foundations,
individuals, and LSST Member Institutions. The LSST is a wide-field telescope facility that will add a qualitatively
new capability in astronomy. For the first time, the LSST will provide time-lapse digital imaging of faint
astronomical objects across the entire sky. AURA
operates LSST for the
National Science Foundation under cooperative
agreement.
NATIONAL OPTICAL ASTRONOMY OBSERVATORY (NOAO)
- NOAO operates telescopes for night-time astronomy.
These telescopes are located on Kitt Peak in Arizona
and Cerro Tololo in Chile, and are used by
approximately one thousand professional astronomers
and students each year. In addition, NOAO provides
support for the involvement of the U.S. astronomical
community in the Gemini Observatory. AURA operates
NOAO for the
National Science Foundation under cooperative
agreement.
NATIONAL SOLAR OBSERVATORY (NSO) - The
mission of the National Solar Observatory is to
advance our understanding of the Sun in its
astrophysical context as a star, as the driver of
conditions in interplanetary space, in its influence
on the terrestrial atmosphere, and in its role in
long-term climate change. NSO provides observing
facilities for use by the nation's solar and
solar-terrestrial physics community. NSO conducts
research at Sacramento Peak in New Mexico and at
Kitt Peak in Arizona. Its current major initiative
is the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST). AURA
operates NSO for the
National Science Foundation under cooperative
agreement.
SPACE TELESCOPE SCIENCE INSTITUTE (STScI) -
STScI carries out the scientific mission of the
Hubble Space Telescope, the most powerful
optical/ultraviolet observatory in space. From
Baltimore, Maryland, STScI serves astronomers
everywhere who observe the universe with Hubble. In
addition, STScI is developing the Science and
Operations Center for the
James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). JWST will be
Hubble's successor and is currently scheduled to
launch in 2018. AURA manages STScI under contract
with the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).