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6d ago

Rubin Observatory Unveils First Deep-Space Survey Images, Identifies Over 2,000 New Asteroids

SLAC-built camera data are processed within minutes to map galaxies rapidly with timely alerts on transient cosmic events.

The Trifid and Lagoon Nebulae, located more than 4,000 light-years away, as seen by the Vera C. Rubin Observatory.  
Image
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory’s view of the southern region of the Virgo Cluster.
Vera C. Rubin Observatory construction.

Overview

  • The observatory’s first public images captured 10 million galaxies and uncovered over 2,000 new asteroids.
  • Its LSST camera, the world’s largest digital camera built by SLAC, images an area 45 times the size of the full moon every three nights.
  • Imaging data are sent in real time to SLAC’s Menlo Park facilities and processed within minutes to alert astronomers to brightness changes and transient events.
  • Over its 10-year Legacy Survey of Space and Time, the observatory will sweep the entire southern sky every three nights, generating a decade-long cosmic time-lapse.
  • The survey’s high-resolution data are expected to advance research into dark matter, dark energy, and near-Earth asteroid threats.