Latest news with #LargeSynopticSurveyTelescope
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
A Colossal Telescope in the Desert Just Captured Galaxies We've Never Seen Before
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." Here's what you'll learn when you read this story: After more than a decade under construction, the Vera Rubin Observatory has released its first images, which contain millions of galaxies. These first images are only the brief, initial glimpse of the observatory's 10-year Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST), which will discover new objects in the night sky while also (hopefully) answering questions about dark matter and dark energy. As a ground-based telescope, the Vera Rubin Observatory will be a perfect companion to space-based telescopes like the James Webb Space Telescope, as its sweeping view will completely scan the night sky every three days. On August 1, 2014, workers began construction of the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) perched atop Cerro Pachón in Chile's Atacama Desert. Fast forward a decade later, and the LSST—now called the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, named for the American astronomer whose groundbreaking work provided evidence for the existence of dark matter—is finally ready to start doing some serious science. Its main mission will be the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (confusingly also abbreviated LSST), which will ceaselessly scan the night sky continuously for 10 years, noting every visible change along the way. Vera Rubin is particularly well-suited for this task—with a 28-foot-wide primary mirror, and 11-foot-wide secondary mirror, and the largest digital camera ever constructed, this terrestrial telescope can move its 300-ton bulk one full rotation in a half a minute at full speed, according to The New York Times. The amount of data Rubin will collect in the next year alone will be more than all other optical observatories combined. To put it mildly, it's an exciting time. To celebrate the beginning of its operation, the observatory has released the first images captured by the telescope. A combination of 678 different images, the photo above shows that brilliant Trifid nebula (top right) with the Lagoon nebula (bottom left), which is located more than 4,000 light-years from Earth. The lead image of this article (an in-depth look at the Virgo cluster) is only 2 percent of a full Rubin image, which would actually require 400 ultra high-definition TVs to display. Below is a labeled image of a swath of galaxies and stars—some of which we know, and many of which we've never seen before. 'These images vividly showcase the unprecedented power that Rubin will use to revolutionize astronomy and our understanding of the Universe,' astronomers Manda Banerji and Phil Wiseman from the University of Southampton wrote in The Conversation. 'Rubin is truly transformative, thanks to its unique combination of sensitivity, vast sky area coverage and exceptional image quality.' It's a big moment for ground-based astronomy, which has often been eclipsed by groundbreaking discoveries made by space-based telescopes like Hubble and JWST. While it's true that these floating telescopes offer a ton of benefits—chief among them being that they circumvent atmospheric interference and the increasing annoyance of satellite disruption (think Starlink)—the benefits of ground-based observatories far outweigh these visual costs. For one, these telescopes can be easily maintained and—crucially—upgraded with the latest and greatest technologies because... you know... they're on the ground. And without the need for payload restrictions, ground-based telescopes can be absolutely gargantuan (look no further than the adequately named Extremely Large Telescope, also under construction in the Atacama Desert). A quick comparison: JWST's Near Infrared Camera has a field of view of roughly 0.05 square degrees, whereas Vera Rubin has a full 9.6 square degrees. That means it can simply see way more sky than its space-based cousins. Rubin will also be able to produce incredibly high-definition photographs in just a few days, rather than the few years needed by other telescopes. At the end of its 10-year LSST mission, Rubin will provide invaluable data for investigating dark energy and dark matter, as well as information regarding some 20 billion galaxies. Rubin will also observe billions of objects on more than 800 separate occasions, which will create a kind of astronomical movie detailing the evolution of the night sky over time. Especially excitingly, it will capture asteroids as they move through the Solar System. The Observatory estimates that LSST will discover five million asteroids in the next few years alone—five times more than what humanity has discovered in the last two centuries. After decades of waiting, it's time for the science to finally commence. '[Vera Rubin] represents the culmination of about two decades of dedication, innovation, and collaboration by a global team,' Željko Ivezić, Director of Rubin Observatory Construction, said in a press statement. 'With construction now complete, we're turning our eyes fully to the sky—not just to take images, but to begin a whole new era of discovery.' You Might Also Like The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life?
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.
