Millions of galaxies, nebulas and more revealed in first photos from Rubin Observatory
We now have a view of space that we've never had before.
This week, the NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory captured stunning images that revealed how vast space actually is.
'The NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory demonstrates that the United States remains at the forefront of international basic science and highlights the remarkable achievements we get when the many parts of the national research enterprise work together,' Michael Kratsios, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, said in a release. "The Rubin Observatory is an investment in our future, which will lay down a cornerstone of knowledge today on which our children will proudly build tomorrow.'
According to a statement on the observatory's website, "The imagery shows cosmic phenomena captured at an unprecedented scale. In just over 10 hours of test observations, (the observatory) has already captured millions of galaxies and Milky Way stars and thousands of asteroids. The imagery is a small preview of Rubin Observatory's upcoming 10-year scientific mission to explore and understand some of the Universe's biggest mysteries."
The Rubin Observatory is located at the summit of Cerro Pachón in Chile.
It is a relatively new facility and is jointly funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science, according to the observatory website.
"Rubin's innovative 8.4-meter telescope has the largest digital camera ever built, which feeds a powerful data processing system," according to the U.S. National Science Foundation website. "Later in 2025, Rubin will begin its primary mission, the Legacy Survey of Space and Time, in which it will ceaselessly scan the sky nightly for 10 years to precisely capture every visible change.
"The result will be an ultrawide, ultra-high-definition time-lapse record of the universe."
The observatory is named after Vera Rubin , an American astronomer, because she was a "trailblazing" astronomer, according to the facility's website, which noted Rubin "found conclusive evidence of vast quantities of invisible material known as dark matter" in space.
This article originally appeared on wickedlocal.com: New space photos show millions of galaxies. Take a look
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