Vera C. Rubin Observatory: A New Era of Space Exploration Begins
In the vast expanse of the cosmos, a new era of space exploration is about to begin with the forthcoming Vera C. Rubin Observatory. While this observatory will remain firmly planted on Earth, its ability to provide scientists with a highly detailed and comprehensive view of the universe may just revolutionize our understanding of space. With its “big picture” perspective, Rubin is set to detect millions of new asteroids, comets, and even celestial bodies from other systems passing through our solar system.
The solar system is teeming with billions of small rocky bodies and icy objects that formed around 4.5 billion years ago during the birth of planets like Earth. Over the years, space missions such as NASA’s OSIRIS-REx, Lucy, and Psyche have made significant progress in visiting these ancient solar system bodies. These missions have collected images and even obtained samples for further investigation on Earth, all thanks to data collected by observatories worldwide. However, Rubin’s capabilities will far surpass anything we have seen before.
Scheduled to have its “first light” in 2025, Rubin will be able to provide unparalleled depth and characterization of solar system objects. “Nothing will come close to the depth of Rubin’s survey and the level of characterization we will get for solar system objects,” says Siegfried Eggl, Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Lead of the Inner Solar System Working Group within Rubin’s Solar System Science Collaboration. “It is fascinating that we have the capability to visit interesting objects and look at them close-up. But to do that, we need to know they exist and where they are. This is what Rubin will tell us.”
Rubin’s main task will be to monitor solar system bodies and cosmic objects beyond the limits of our solar system and even the Milky Way galaxy. Through its 10-year Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST), Rubin will scan the entire southern hemisphere sky every few nights using an 8.4-meter telescope and the largest digital camera in the world. This ambitious project aims to increase our catalog of known solar system objects, which has been built over 200 years, by at least five times.
Not only will Rubin discover countless new solar system objects, but it will also provide valuable information about the broader “spacescape” of our solar system. This could lead to the identification of unique regions that contain objects worthy of future space missions. Eggl likens Rubin’s role to looking at a beach, where each individual sand grain represents a solar system object. By understanding the context and characteristics of these regions, scientists can determine which objects are worth investigating further.
Moreover, Rubin’s ability to quickly alert operators to changes in the night sky within 60 seconds will be invaluable for space agencies planning missions. This rapid response time could enable scientists to study rapidly moving objects of interest before they disappear from reach. For instance, Rubin could have provided an early warning of the interstellar object Oumuamua as it passed through our solar system, allowing teams to study it in situ before it ventured back into deep space.
One project already preparing to take advantage of Rubin’s data is the JAXA/European Space Agency Comet Interceptor mission, set to launch in 2029. This mission will await the sighting of a visitable comet or interstellar object passing in front of the sun before deploying for investigation. Rubin’s observations could provide crucial information for this mission and others targeting interesting objects near their spacecraft’s path.
NASA’s asteroid-hopping spacecraft, Lucy, is another active mission that could benefit greatly from Rubin’s observations. Lucy’s 12-year mission aims to conduct the first in situ study of Trojan asteroids, which share Jupiter’s orbit around the sun. Rubin’s ability to spot smaller and fainter asteroids along Lucy’s path could present new and unexpected fly-by opportunities for the NASA mission.
“With our current telescopes, we’ve essentially been looking at the big boulders on the beach,” concludes Eggl. “But Rubin will zoom in on the finer grains of sand.” The Vera C. Rubin Observatory is poised to revolutionize our understanding of the solar system and beyond, opening up new possibilities for space exploration and discovery. As we eagerly await its “first light” in 2025, scientists and space enthusiasts alike are preparing for a new chapter in our exploration of the cosmos.
