Rubin Observatory Ushers in a New Era of Astronomy
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The Vera C. Rubin Observatory begins it's 10-year mission to shoot the greatest cosmic movie ever created.
The mission - officially known as the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) - is set to transform our view of the universe and marks the beginning of a new era for astronomy.
"Today, we begin filming the greatest cosmic movie ever made," says U.S. National Science Foundation director Brian Stone. "With the launch of the ten-year Legacy Survey of Space and Time, the Rubin Observatory is opening a new window on the universe."
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory, located on a mountain top in Chile, will use its 3200-megapixel camera - the largest digital camera ever created - to repeatedly scan the entire sky over the southern hemisphere every few nights. Over the next decade, each point in the sky will be covered 800 times; this will result in an ultra-wide, ultra-high-definition time-lapse record of the cosmos.
Darío Gil, Under Secretary for Science at the DOE says that the "Rubin Observatory is opening a new window on the universe. It is embarking on a mission that will redefine modern cosmology and astrophysics. With its world-class design and tools, Rubin Observatory will capture the dynamic nature of our cosmos and reveal unimagined insights into our universe's biggest mysteries, from our own solar system to the very structure of the universe. By seeking to understand the enigmatic phenomena of dark energy and dark matter, we are not just observing the stars; we are striving to grasp the fundamental laws that govern our existence."
The Vera C Rubin Observatory is named after an American woman who played a critical role in revealing that our universe appears to be permeated with mysterious, undetectable particles. This is dark matter and it has played a key role in the evolution of the universe. She is just one of The Female Astronomers Hidden by Science’s Male Elite, but after decades of being largely unrecognised for their work, are finally being hailed for their brilliance.
