Rubin Observatory Captures First Light, Ushering in New Era of Cosmic Discovery

The colossal telescope will scan the heavens for a decade, unveiling the universe’s mysteries.

The Vera Rubin Observatory, nestled high in the Chilean Andes, has achieved a pivotal milestone by collecting its initial photons of starlight. This moment signifies the beginning of an ambitious ten-year project, promising to revolutionize our understanding of the cosmos and its enigmatic dark components.

A Moment of Triumph

On April 15th, 8 p.m. local time, the control room at Cerro Pachón buzzed with excitement as images materialized on screens. These initially appeared as static, soon resolving into countless stars and galaxies. Physicist Alysha Shugart recalled the celebratory atmosphere, noting the significance of the event.

“There was this huge amount of cheering and screaming, people were getting teary-eyed,”

—Alysha Shugart, Physicist

The arrival of these photons, traveling for billions of years, coincided with the observatory’s tenth construction anniversary. It also marked the launch of the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST), which will repeatedly photograph the southern hemisphere’s night sky.

Unprecedented Astronomical Data

The Rubin Observatory’s mission encompasses the repeated acquisition of ultra-high-resolution images of the southern hemisphere’s night sky every three to four days. This will be a transformative approach, collecting unprecedented data. Its cameras will yield over 20 terabytes of raw image data each night. Over a decade, the LSST is expected to produce more than 500 petabytes of images and analysis. The result will be a comprehensive, decade-long time-lapse of the cosmos, providing astronomers with a unique perspective.

Astronomical observatories have traditionally focused on detailed snapshots of small sky sections. However, as researcher Yusra Al-Sayyad from Princeton University notes, the universe is in constant flux. There are many transient celestial events, such as asteroids and supernovae, that can only be captured with a wide, deep field of view.

To accomplish this, the Rubin Observatory features a 1.7-meter camera with a 3,200-megapixel resolution. This is the largest digital camera ever constructed, with a field of view equivalent to 45 full Moons. This instrument will be fed starlight reflected by an 8.4-meter primary mirror, precisely shaped over seven years by scientists at the University of Arizona.

Searching for Dark Matter

The observatory aims to create a comprehensive catalogue of the night sky by recording the details of billions of stars and galaxies. Cosmologists can use this to study the early universe and its evolution, which will be crucial for understanding dark matter and dark energy. This will also support the detection of potentially hazardous objects, including those near Earth. The telescope is expected to discover a massive quantity of near-Earth objects, potentially tripling the number of known objects that could come near the Earth.

In its inaugural year alone, the Rubin Observatory will double the amount of data collected by all previous optical astronomy instruments combined. Additionally, the observatory will conduct the most detailed census yet of millions of previously unknown solar system objects. If the hypothesised ninth planet exists, the observatory may be the first to find it.

The LSST will begin in October. The data gathered will be transferred to computers at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in California. There, automated processes will clean and analyze images, identifying changes and prioritizing them for follow-up observations by other observatories worldwide.

According to NASA, as of November 2023, there are over 33,000 near-Earth objects identified, with around 1,000 considered potentially hazardous. (NASA)

Dark Universe Exploration

The observatory will measure how the light from distant galaxies is distorted by the gravitational pull of matter. This will help astronomers determine how matter is arranged and how it moves, which are essential clues to the dark universe. Vera Rubin, the observatory’s namesake, discovered evidence of dark matter. The LSST will also significantly aid in the study of dark energy.

The observatory’s ultimate goal, as Leanne Guy, a physicist at Rubin, suggests, is to make discoveries that researchers have not even considered yet. This endeavor will not only enhance current knowledge of the cosmos, but will also allow for future research and discoveries that are yet unknown.