Beneath the Milky Way, the Blanco Telescope at Cerro Tololo carried out the 6 year Dark Energy Survey. By mapping 2 million galaxies across 14 billion years of cosmic history, Blanco is helping astronomers understand the Universe’s expansion. 🔗 noirlab.edu/public/images/…

Did you catch the total Lunar Eclipse? 🌕🔴 Our @NOIRLabastro photo ambassador Petr Horálek captured these stunning shots from @CerroTololo in Chile! Where did you watch the eclipse from? 🌍🔭 📷 CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/P. Horálek

Read about our latest findings on Dark Energy! 🌌🔭

Two separate powerful cosmological surveys — @DESISurvey in Arizona and the @thDESurvey in Chile — suggest that dark energy, the mysterious force speeding up the expansion of the Universe, might not be constant… it could be changing over time. 😱 🔗 ow.ly/XA5I50VlHf0

POV you are an object being observed by the NSF Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope at Cerro Tololo in Chile, a program of @NOIRLabastro 🌠👀👋 📷 CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/T. Matsopoulos

Google Maps can’t do this! 📍Check out this super zoom into the Milky Way from the @DOEscience-fabricated Dark Energy Camera (DECam) mounted at NSF @CerroTololo, a program of @noirlabastro. 📷 CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/W. Clarkson

Fantastic time discussing whether the latest blockbuster cosmology results from Dark Energy Survey and DESI Survey really do show that Dark Energy is evolving! Brilliant explanations from Claire Lamman , Tamara Davis and Shaun Hotchkiss Check it out! Full talk: youtu.be/reNicLW2vpY?si…

Captured with one of the most powerful digital cameras on Earth—the 570-megapixel DOE Office of Science Dark Energy Camera mounted in Cerro Tololo, Chile—this image reveals a dark, celestial shadow drifting across the sky: the Circinus West molecular cloud.

Dark Energy Camera Captures Sparse Pockets of Light Amongst Dark Clouds of Chamaeleon I! Check out our latest Cosmoview 👆🎥

Almost forgot that this was the whole point…Today, take a deep breath and admire the beauty of the Earth and the skies. 😌✨ This image shows dusk over Cerro Tololo in Chile, a Program of NSF NOIRLab. Can you spot the Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter? 🔭 📸NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/P. Horálek

The Blanco 4-meter Telescope is pictured here with its bestie, the SMARTS 1.5-meter Telescope. They hang out together every night on @CerroTololo in Chile. 🙂‍↕️🤞 This long-exposure image shows the motion of the stars throughout the night! 📸CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/D. Munizaga

John Peoples Jr., Fermilab director from 1989-1999, passed away on June 25, 2025 at the age of 92. Peoples led the lab during the run of the Tevatron, which contributed to the discovery of the top quark, and initiated an astrophysics program at Fermilab. news.fnal.gov/2025/06/fermil…

DES mourns the loss of accomplished physicist, and our first director, John Peoples Jr.

Meet our neighbors!

✨ 50 years under the southern skies ✨ The Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope, perched high at @CerroTololo in Chile, will celebrate its 50th year of operation in 2026! 📸 CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/ P.Horálek

These past days brought snow in Chile! ❄️ @cerroTololo saw its first snowfall of the year (~15 cm), and Cerro Pachón its third (~30 cm), after a few days of bad weather. Thanks to our operations teams for keeping everything safe and clear. 📸: NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/F. Bruno

You're looking at the deepest image ever taken of Abell 3667, captured with the 570-megapixel Dark Energy Camera on the Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope at @CerroTololo in Chile. 🔗 noirlab.edu/public/news/no… Credit: CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA

We’re smitten like a kitten for the Cat’s Paw Nebula 🐈✨ NGC 6334 is a star-forming region that is reddened by the Milky Way’s dust. This pic was taken with the Blanco telescope at Cerro Tololo in Chile 📸NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/T.A. Rector/University of Alaska Anchorage/T. Abbot

When your “office view” includes 360° of mountains and the occasional whisper of wind… Yeah, we are pretty lucky 🤩. This panoramic view was taken at @CerroTololo in Chile. 📷 CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/T. Matsopoulos

The Guardians of the Galaxy look different in this pic 🤨 Cerro Tololo has ~40 telescopes, and some protect us from Near-Earth Asteroids. The Planetary Defense 1.3-meter & 1.0 meter Telescope work together to monitor asteroids every night. 📷CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/T. Matsopoulos