On Monday, June 23, scientists revealed the first images captured by the world’s most powerful telescope and largest digital camera — part of the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) — showing breathtaking views of distant galaxies, cosmic dust clouds and asteroids streaking through space. The effort is part of a decade-long survey of the universe that just kicked off.
The groundbreaking images come from the $810 million Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile. Astronomers say the telescope will begin a historic period of exploration and discovery as it embarks on a mission to collect the best images yet of the universe in all its glory.
Image reveal
In roughly 10 hours, the observatory discovered 2,104 previously undetected asteroids in the solar system, including seven asteroids relatively close to Earth, which astronomers stress currently present no danger to our planet.
“I’m absolutely blown away. Just look, it’s teeming with gorgeous, glittering galaxies!” professor Catherine Heymans, an astrophysicist at the University of Edinburgh, told The Guardian.
“I’m so delighted that they chose Virgo for the ‘first look’ as it celebrates a key moment in humanity’s dark matter story. It was the 1930s observations of the Virgo and Coma clusters that prompted Fritz Zwicky to conclude there must be extra invisible dark matter out there,” she added.
Where is the observatory?
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With a 3.2 gigapixel sensor, the telescope at the Rubin Observatory is the largest digital camera on the planet.
Positioned in the Chilean Andes, the observatory is fitted with the most high-tech telescope ever created and the largest digital camera in the world. As Straight Arrow News reported, the camera will survey the entire southern sky every three to four days and then repeat the observation for 10 years.
The end goal is to showcase the greatest astronomical images ever compiled and advance humanity’s understanding of the universe. Astronomers expect to capture everything from asteroids, comets, exploding stars, new planets, remnants of dark matter and other space objects. If and when the telescope detects a change, it alerts professional stargazers within minutes so they can bring the necessary equipment to research the space phenomenon.
“We’ve never looked at the universe this way before. You get to see everything that moves, everything that changes in brightness,” Heymans said.
Although the Rubin Observatory is U.S.-run, the United Kingdom plays a major role as one of three global data facilities that will process around 1.5 million images, expected to reveal roughly 10 billion stars and galaxies.
What will the study involve?
During the survey, the observatory will make trillions of measurements of billions of celestial objects, including some far beyond the Milky Way. Astronomers estimate they will map about 20 billion previously undiscovered galaxies.
“The power of this observatory is about being able to see so much of the cosmos,” professor Aaron Roodman, the deputy director for Rubin construction, told The Guardian. “We can almost look anywhere and get an incredible treasure trove of information.”
Inside the telescope is the most high-tech digital camera to date, complete with 400 ultra-high-definition televisions. The observatory requires immense power to capture such large-scale images. Many astronomers have already set up arrangements to view the images through local planetariums.
What do astronomers hope to see?
Astronomers believe that by layering images from the same part of the sky, the telescope’s decade-long survey can reveal dimly lit and distant objects. Astronomers have a specific interest in searching for a potential “Planet Nine,” which they suspect is far beyond Neptune and orbits the sun every 10,000 to 20,000 years.
The pictures should also provide more data on the so-called dark universe, which is the 95% of space where mysterious dark matter and dark energy lie. Astronomers are hopeful the images will reveal how dark matter and energy is distributed across the universe over time. Researchers plan to study this by monitoring millions of supernovae, which they believe can measure the universe’s expansion and help refine the definition of dark energy.
The observatory also aims to identify an estimated 90,000 new near-Earth asteroids — more than double the current known number. Some of these may pose future threats to Earth, and Rubin could help space agencies detect them earlier as they prepare for potential impacts.
