3 Director’s Message
25 Science Highlights
Markus Kissler-Patig
Nancy A. Levenson
5 High-resolution Optical Speckle
Imaging at Gemini North
Steve B. Howell, Elliott Horch, Mark Everett, and
David Ciardi
29 Instrument Development Update
Scot Kleinman, Benoit Neichel, and Maxime Boccas
34 Operations Corner
Andy Adamson
9
Quasar Feedback and Galactic-scale 36 Gemini’s Fourth Science and
Outflows
Guilin Liu and Nadia L. Zakamska
13 Cosmic Collisions in the
Distant Universe
Susannah Alaghband-Zadeh
17 Jets from AGN Quench Star
Formation in Shocking Ways
Richard McDermid and Tim Davis
21 Young Galaxies and Stellar Nurseries
User Meeting
Pauline Barmby
40 STAC Report
Henry Roe
43 Users’ Committee Report
Sarah Brough and Committee
45 Viaje al Universo
Ma. Antonieta García U.
Born when Galaxies Collide
Duilia de Mello, Claudia Mendes de Oliveira, Sergio
Torres-Flores, and Fernanda Urrutia-Viscarra
GeminiFocus December 2012
GeminiFocus is a publication of Gemini Observatory
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Phone: (808) 974-2500 Fax: (808) 974-2589
Online viewing address: www.gemini.edu/efocus
Managing Editor: Peter Michaud
Science Editor: Nancy A. Levenson
Associate Editor: Stephen James O’Meara
Designer: Eve Furchgott / Blue Heron Multimedia
Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations
expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not
necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
2
GeminiFocus
On the Cover:
This Galaxy is No Dead Ringer!
This issue’s cover features the polar-ring galaxy NGC 660
as captured by the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph at
Gemini North. The dynamics of one galaxy piercing the
heart of another produces many compelling features
and sparks star formation as described in the Legacy
Image release of October 18, 2012 (and featured as the
Astronomy Picture of the Day on November 10, 2012).
Learn more at: www.gemini.edu/node/11896
December2012