- The world’s largest digital camera begins recording the changing universe every night
- Giant Chile observatory already detects thousands of hidden asteroids during early tests
- A new sky survey captures fresh cosmic images every forty seconds overnight
A camera the size of a small car has begun the most ambitious astronomical survey ever attempted from Earth.
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory, located atop Cerro Pachón in northern Chile, officially began its Space and Time Heritage Survey.
Every 40 seconds throughout the night, the 6,600-pound instrument takes a new image using its 3,200-megapixel sensor, the largest digital camera ever built.
A decade-long cosmic recording begins
Over the next decade, the camera will return to each part of the sky about 800 times, building a living record of celestial changes.
Željko Ivezić, head of LSST, said the launch followed extensive system optimization and a careful review of technical readiness across multiple performance measures.
“Important factors that played a role in this decision included image quality, effective survey speed, system uptime and reliability, and calibration accuracy,” Ivezić said.
The $800 million observatory is jointly funded by the US National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy’s Office of Science.
“Today we begin filming the greatest cosmic movie ever made… This moment reflects decades of vision, innovation and the strength of federal investment,” said Brian Stone of the US National Science Foundation
Each night, the camera collects approximately 10 TB of data while generating as many as seven million alerts marking changes across the sky.
During early optimization studies lasting about six weeks, Rubin already discovered more than 11,000 previously unseen asteroids, including 33 near-Earth objects.
Mapping dark matter and the solar system
Scientists intend to use the completed data set to build a new inventory of the Solar System and the Milky Way Galaxy.
The study will also help researchers probe dark matter by studying the distorted light from distant background galaxies.
Bob Blum, director of the Rubin Observatory at the NSF NOIRLab, said the project follows more than two decades of sustained engineering and scientific effort.
“Rubin Observatory is for everyone; LSST will change how we do astronomy and astrophysics,” said Blum.
Phil Marshall, deputy director of Rubin Operations for SLAC, noted that millions of alerts generated in recent months already show the system is working as a true detection machine.
When complete, the final data set will contain billions of astronomical objects and trillions of individual measurements, according to the observatory.
This data will be released regularly, marking the first time such a comprehensive astronomical archive will be publicly available to both researchers and the public.
“Rubin brings the universe to life and illuminates a treasure trove of discoveries: pulsating stars, supernova explosions, fossils of galaxies, clues to the mysteries of dark energy and dark matter, and brand new phenomena never seen before,” the observatory said.
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