The NSFR–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory has begun capturing the most comprehensive cinematic record of the Universe in history, starting its 10-year Legacy Survey of Space and Time project on a mountaintop in Chile under clear dark skies. The observatory is a U.S. government facility jointly operated by NSF NOIRLab and DOE’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.
The Rubin Observatory uses the largest camera ever built, a 3200-megapixel digital camera, to capture images of the sky every few nights. Over the next decade, it will observe the entire southern sky, creating an ultra-wide, ultra-high-definition time-lapse record of our Universe.
The survey’s primary mission is to provide an unprecedented data set for scientific research, supporting both agencies’ goals in astronomy and astrophysics. Rubin Observatory will advance opportunities for multi-messenger astronomy, helping researchers uncover subtle events and study the accelerating expansion of the Universe.
Each night, Rubin collects approximately ten terabytes of data and produces as many as seven million alerts of changes in the night sky. The final dataset will contain billions of objects with trillions of measurements, opening new doors to discovery by scientists and the public alike.
The Rubin Observatory is a joint initiative of NSF and DOE’s Office of Science, operated jointly by NOIRLab and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. It has received international contributions from over 40 organizations, supporting its operations in Chile and advancing research opportunities worldwide.
Source: https://rubinobservatory.org/news/action-rubin-lsst-begins