The first dazzling images have been released from the National Science Foundation and Department of Energy’s Vera C. Rubin Observatory, capturing the night sky “like never before.”
The snapshots reveal the stunning result of more than 10 hours of test observations, snapping the mysterious wonder of the cosmos. They include millions of stars and galaxies and thousands of asteroids in hues of ruby, sapphire, and gold inlaid against the inky blackness of our known universe. Several thousand light-years away from Earth, the Trifid and Lagoon nebulas – vast clouds of gas and dust – exist. We see them here in flamingo pink.
The newly released pictures preview the observatory’s upcoming 10-year scientific mission to help humans better understand our place on the pale blue dot known as Earth.
“NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory will capture more information about our Universe than all optical telescopes throughout history combined,” Brian Stone, who is performing the duties of the National Science Foundation director, said in a statement. “Through this remarkable scientific facility, we will explore many cosmic mysteries, including the dark matter and dark energy that permeate the Universe.”
“We’re entering a golden age of American science,” Harriet Kung, acting director of Department of Energy’s Office of Science, said. “NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory reflects what’s possible when the federal government backs world-class engineers and scientists with the tools to lead.”
The observatory, named in honor of the trailblazing U.S. astronomer who established the presence of dark matter in galaxies, rests on the summit of Chile’s Cerro Pachón mountain. The culmination of more than two decades of work, it holds an 8.4-meter telescope with the largest digital camera ever built. The camera is the size of a small car and weighs nearly 6,200 pounds. Known as the LSST Camera, each image it takes covers an area on the sky as big as 45 full Moons.
Its primary mission will begin later this year. Known as the Legacy Survey of Space and Time, the telescope will skim the sky every night for approximately 10 years, taking an ultra-high-definition time-lapse of the universe and helping to make what scientists promise will be billions of scientific discoveries: some we cannot even think of yet.
The observatory’s work seeks to answer numerous queries related to dark energy and Rubin’s work surrounding dark matter: an unseen substance that drives normal matter, including gas and dust. Although dark matter and dark energy comprise 95 percent of the universe, their properties remain unknown. Astronomers didn’t even know it existed until the 20th century. NASA scientists are also planning to use their new Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope to try to better define it come 2027. Although, the agency’s proposed budget would slash its science funding.
But, in terms of what we can see, the observatory will gather more data in its first year alone than that collected by all optical observatories combined. It will be the most efficient and effective solar system discovery machine ever built, according to its operators. Taking images that cover the Southern sky every three-to-four nights, it will find unseen asteroids, bolstering our planetary defense capabilities.
Ultimately, what the observatory will provide is progress. Scientists will be able to conduct their own investigations into Rubin’s data remotely.
“This treasure trove of data will help scientists make countless discoveries about the universe and will serve as an incomparable resource for scientific exploration for decades to come,” the groups asserted.
