Latest news with #HarrietKung
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Largest camera on earth gives new views of the cosmos. How Duke helped.
A two-hour bus ride took Chris Walter from the coastal town of La Serena to the tops of the Andes mountains during the two years he worked on an observatory in Chile. The observatory sits beside other telescopes atop the Cerro Pachón mountain, which the Duke University physics professor remembers being 'very dry' and 'typically not that hot.' It was in stark contrast to Durham, where physicists, astronomers and journalists gathered in 96 degree heat at Duke's Wallace Wade Stadium on Monday, huddling beneath a pergola in a sliver of shade.. Dripping in sweat, the group watched the stadium screen, patiently waiting for the first, highly anticipated images from the telescope at the Vera C. Rubin Observatory. Duke's First Look watch party was one of hundreds worldwide. The Rubin Observatory is funded by the National Science Foundation and the Office of Science in the U.S. Department of Energy. It's named for astronomer Vera Rubin, an advocate for women in science, and has been a work in progress for the past two decades. The observatory will provide unprecedented amounts of data about the universe, only 5% of which is understood. It will detect dark matter and exploding stars, and it has already detected thousands of previously unidentified asteroids, which are rocky objects that orbit in space. Rubin's telescope has a 3,200 megapixel digital camera, the largest ever built, described as 'the size of a small car but twice as heavy' by Harriet Kung, acting director of the Office of Science. Researchers in Duke's cosmology group contributed to the software and hardware of the telescope. Walter started the group in 2018. The group's active optics team helps ensure the telescope is as focused as possible, explained Bekah Polen, team member and Ph.D. student in Duke's physics department. 'When you're looking at something far away, there's dark matter along your line of sight that distorts the image you're seeing,' Polen said. 'Manipulating the components of the telescope to get a sharper image goes a long way'. Despite its size, the telescope can move around in seconds as opposed to minutes. Every night, it will take 20 terabytes worth of ultra-high resolution, ultra-wide images of the night sky in the southern hemisphere. One image can contain nearly 10 million galaxies, allowing the telescope to survey the universe every three days. The observatory will collect photos for 10 years, creating a digital record of the cosmos over space and time. This compilation of pictures, known as the Legacy Survey of Space and Time, will be the most detailed time-lapse of the universe. The survey's dataset will include roughly 40 billion stars, galaxies, and solar system objects that will have been observed over 800 times. The data will help scientists answer questions about the universe, such as how the Milky Way — which contains our solar system — formed and what the 95% of the universe that is unknown is made of. Duke cosmologists hope to gain a better understanding of dark energy, which accounts for 68% of the universe and which NASA describes as an unknown force accelerating the expansion of the universe. 'Dark energy seems to be less of a thing and more of a property of space,' Walter said. 'It's very mysterious.' The NSF is a major funder of foundational science, research that increases understanding of natural phenomena. President Trump's proposed budget cuts slashes NSF funding by 57%, compared to 2024 . The Rubin observatory's funding is set to increase from $17 to $32 million. But an increase was expected as the observatory moves into its operational phase, and that total is 20% less than what was expected. The proposed NSF cuts are a part of Trump's larger mission to decrease science spending across the board. It is unclear whether these cuts will be enacted as the proposal must be approved by the Congress.
The Independent
23-06-2025
- Science
- The Independent
First images from new observatory bring night sky to life ‘like never before'
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.
NBC News
23-06-2025
- Science
- NBC News
First images from world's largest digital camera reveal galaxies and cosmic collisions
The images and videos from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory represent just over 10 hours of test observations and are sneak peeks ahead of an event Monday that will be livestreamed. Astronomers have been eagerly anticipating the first images from the new observatory, with experts saying it could help solve some of the universe's most enduring mysteries and revolutionize our understanding of the cosmos. 'We're entering a golden age of American science,' Harriet Kung, acting director of the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science, said in a statement. The Vera C. Rubin Observatory is jointly operated by the Department of Energy and the U.S. National Science Foundation. The facility, named after the American astronomer who discovered evidence of dark matter in the universe, sits atop Cerro Pachón, a mountain in central Chile. The observatory is designed to take roughly 1,000 images of the Southern Hemisphere sky each night, covering the entire visible Southern sky every three to four nights. 'Through this remarkable scientific facility, we will explore many cosmic mysteries, including the dark matter and dark energy that permeate the universe,' Brian Stone, chief of staff at the National Science Foundation, said in a statement.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
World's largest digital camera to help new Vera Rubin Observatory make a 'time-lapse record of the universe' (video)
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. A major milestone with the Vera C. Rubin Observatory has been reached with the installation of the telescope's enormous LSST Camera — the last optical component required before the last phase of testing can begin. The car-sized Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) Camera that was recently installed on the Vera C. Rubin Observatory is the largest digital camera ever built and will be used to capture detailed images of the southern hemisphere sky over a decade. "The installation of the LSST Camera on the telescope is a triumph of science and engineering," said Harriet Kung, Acting Director of the Department of Energy's Office of Science in a statement. "We look forward to seeing the unprecedented images this camera will produce." The telescope is funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science and is named after Dr. Vera C. Rubin, an American astronomer whose work provided strong evidence for the existence of dark matter. Along with her colleague Kent Ford, Rubin observed that in the numerous galaxies they studied, stars at the outer edges were moving just as fast as those near the center. This was unusual because, according to Newtonian physics and Kepler's laws of planetary motion, objects farther from the center of a gravitational system should orbit more slowly due to the weaker gravitational pull. After accounting for all visible matter, the gravitational force from the observed mass wasn't enough to keep these fast-moving stars bound to the galaxy. Without additional mass providing extra gravitational pull, the galaxies should have been flying apart. This discrepancy led to the conclusion that an unseen form of mass, now known as dark matter, was holding them together. Following its namesake, the Rubin telescope will investigate the mysteries of dark energy and dark matter with cutting-edge technology. Its state-of-the-art mirror design, highly sensitive camera, rapid survey speed and advanced computing infrastructure each represent breakthroughs in their respective fields. Every few nights, it will survey the entire sky, creating an "ultra-wide, ultra-high-definition time-lapse record of the universe," the statement adds. Each image will be so massive that displaying it would require 400 ultra-high-definition TV screens. "This unique movie will bring the night sky to life, yielding a treasure trove of discoveries: asteroids and comets, pulsating stars, and supernova explosions," states the observatory's website. While the LSST Camera is an engineering marvel, its installation was equally challenging. In March 2025, after months of testing in Rubin Observatory's clean room, the summit team used a vertical platform lift to move the camera to the telescope floor. A custom lifting device then carefully positioned and secured it on the telescope for the first time. RELATED STORIES: — How Earth's new Rubin Observatory will usher in the next era of asteroid space missions — Rubin Observatory aces 1st image tests, gets ready to use world's largest digital camera — Scientists alarmed as Rubin Observatory changes biography of astronomer Vera Rubin amid Trump's push to end DEI efforts "Mounting the LSST Camera onto the Simonyi Telescope was an effort requiring intense planning, teamwork across the entire observatory and millimeter-precision execution," said Freddy Muñoz, Rubin Observatory Mechanical Group Lead. "Watching the LSST Camera take its place on the telescope is a proud moment for us all." Over the coming weeks, the LSST Camera's utilities and systems will be connected and tested. Soon, it will be ready to capture detailed images of the night sky. The Rubin telescope, under construction in Cerro Pachón, Chile, is expected to see first light in 2025.
