New giant telescope reveals its 1st images of our universe
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory, which houses a telescope with the largest digital camera ever built, has revealed its first images.
The telescope sits atop Cerro Pachón in Chile, under some of the most pristine skies in the world.
It houses the 8.4-metre Simonyi Survey Telescope with the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) camera, and will take images of the skies in the southern hemisphere for the next 10 years. It is able to cover the entire night sky every few nights.
Every night, it will produce a whopping 20 terrabytes of data with its 3,200-megapixel camera. In order to show an image at full size, you'd need 400 ultra high-definition televisions.
"The entire image is 50 times larger than what we are seeing here on screen," Zeljko Ivezic, director of the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, said during a news conference.
The size of the images released Monday is just a fraction of the actual image the telescope has taken, said Ivezic.
Renée Hložek, an associate professor at the Dunlap Institute and the David A. Dunlap department for astronomy and astrophysics at the University of Toronto, is also on the dark energy working group at the Vera C. Rubin Observatory. She is excited about what the new telescope will reveal about the expansion of the universe.
"It's game-changing," she said of the observatory. "I've been waiting for this data my entire academic career."
Unravelling the mysteries of the universe
One of the goals of this novel telescope is to help astronomers better understand dark matter and dark energy, both of which are invisible. Scientists know they exist because of how they interact in our universe.
We only see roughly five per cent of what exists in our universe. Dark energy — which is accelerating the expansion of the universe — makes up about 70 per cent.
Astronomers use special stars to measure the distances of galaxies. That in turn helps astronomers calculate the expansion of the universe. Hložek said that at the moment there are roughly 10,000 of these stars, but Rubin will reveal 500,000.
"So are we going to be able to really pin down the nature of this cosmic acceleration in a way we've never done before?" Hložek said.
WATCH | See the Trifid and Lagoon nebulas:
See the Trifid and Lagoon nebulas
2 hours ago
Duration 0:59
Then there's dark matter, which is believed to make up roughly 25 per cent of the universe.
The term "dark matter" was coined in the 1930s by astronomer Fritz Zwicky while observing the Coma galaxy cluster, which contains roughly 1,000 galaxies. He couldn't explain why the galaxies in the cluster were moving faster than they should be using the theories at the time.
Then in the 1970s, astronomer Vera Rubin confirmed the existence of dark matter after studying how individual galaxies rotated. Under the laws of physics, stars at the outer rim of galaxies should be moving slower than the ones near the centre, but instead they are rotating much faster. Rubin determined that something was holding together the stars in galaxies, preventing them from flying apart: dark matter.
The Rubin Observatory will also map the Milky Way, look for asteroids and film the largest astronomical movie ever made.
WATCH | See a swarm of newly discovered asteroids:
See a swarm of new asteroids
2 hours ago
Duration 0:58
The first-look data that was released Monday also showed the discovery of more than 2,000 asteroids. But rest assured that none of them are on a collision course with Earth, Ivezics said.
"There were no surprises," he said, regarding the number of asteroids discovered.
All the images and data are available to astronomers around the world, as well as the general public, said Clare Hicks, astronomy outreach specialist at the Rubin Observatory. There will also be citizen science projects, where the public can contribute to new discoveries.
As for what astronomers hope to find with this powerful telescope, Ivezics said: "We'll be looking for unknown unknowns."
The astronomers at the observatory are relieved that it is finally up and running after decades of planning and construction.
"It's great," said Sandrine Thomas, telescope and site project scientist at the observatory. "It's really an amazing achievement."
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National Post
14 hours ago
- National Post
The largest digital camera ever built releases its first shots of the universe
NEW YORK — The largest digital camera ever built released its first shots of the universe Monday — including colourful nebulas, stars and galaxies. Article content The Vera C. Rubin Observatory, located on a mountaintop in Chile, was built to take a deeper look at the night sky, covering hidden corners. Funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and U.S. Department of Energy, it will survey the southern sky for the next 10 years. Article content Article content Article content The observatory's first look features the vibrant Trifid and Lagoon nebulas, located thousands of light-years from Earth. A light-year is nearly 10 trillion kilometres. A gaggle of galaxies known as the Virgo Cluster were also captured, including two bright blue spirals. Article content Article content
CBC
14 hours ago
- CBC
New giant telescope reveals its 1st images of our universe
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory, which houses a telescope with the largest digital camera ever built, has revealed its first images. The telescope sits atop Cerro Pachón in Chile, under some of the most pristine skies in the world. It houses the 8.4-metre Simonyi Survey Telescope with the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) camera, and will take images of the skies in the southern hemisphere for the next 10 years. It is able to cover the entire night sky every few nights. Every night, it will produce a whopping 20 terrabytes of data with its 3,200-megapixel camera. In order to show an image at full size, you'd need 400 ultra high-definition televisions. "The entire image is 50 times larger than what we are seeing here on screen," Zeljko Ivezic, director of the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, said during a news conference. The size of the images released Monday is just a fraction of the actual image the telescope has taken, said Ivezic. Renée Hložek, an associate professor at the Dunlap Institute and the David A. Dunlap department for astronomy and astrophysics at the University of Toronto, is also on the dark energy working group at the Vera C. Rubin Observatory. She is excited about what the new telescope will reveal about the expansion of the universe. "It's game-changing," she said of the observatory. "I've been waiting for this data my entire academic career." Unravelling the mysteries of the universe One of the goals of this novel telescope is to help astronomers better understand dark matter and dark energy, both of which are invisible. Scientists know they exist because of how they interact in our universe. We only see roughly five per cent of what exists in our universe. Dark energy — which is accelerating the expansion of the universe — makes up about 70 per cent. Astronomers use special stars to measure the distances of galaxies. That in turn helps astronomers calculate the expansion of the universe. Hložek said that at the moment there are roughly 10,000 of these stars, but Rubin will reveal 500,000. "So are we going to be able to really pin down the nature of this cosmic acceleration in a way we've never done before?" Hložek said. WATCH | See the Trifid and Lagoon nebulas: See the Trifid and Lagoon nebulas 2 hours ago Duration 0:59 Then there's dark matter, which is believed to make up roughly 25 per cent of the universe. The term "dark matter" was coined in the 1930s by astronomer Fritz Zwicky while observing the Coma galaxy cluster, which contains roughly 1,000 galaxies. He couldn't explain why the galaxies in the cluster were moving faster than they should be using the theories at the time. Then in the 1970s, astronomer Vera Rubin confirmed the existence of dark matter after studying how individual galaxies rotated. Under the laws of physics, stars at the outer rim of galaxies should be moving slower than the ones near the centre, but instead they are rotating much faster. Rubin determined that something was holding together the stars in galaxies, preventing them from flying apart: dark matter. The Rubin Observatory will also map the Milky Way, look for asteroids and film the largest astronomical movie ever made. WATCH | See a swarm of newly discovered asteroids: See a swarm of new asteroids 2 hours ago Duration 0:58 The first-look data that was released Monday also showed the discovery of more than 2,000 asteroids. But rest assured that none of them are on a collision course with Earth, Ivezics said. "There were no surprises," he said, regarding the number of asteroids discovered. All the images and data are available to astronomers around the world, as well as the general public, said Clare Hicks, astronomy outreach specialist at the Rubin Observatory. There will also be citizen science projects, where the public can contribute to new discoveries. As for what astronomers hope to find with this powerful telescope, Ivezics said: "We'll be looking for unknown unknowns." The astronomers at the observatory are relieved that it is finally up and running after decades of planning and construction. "It's great," said Sandrine Thomas, telescope and site project scientist at the observatory. "It's really an amazing achievement."
CTV News
20 hours ago
- CTV News
Thousands of asteroids and millions of galaxies shine in first images from the largest camera ever built
This composite image combines 678 separate images to show faint details like clouds of gas and dust in the Trifid nebula (top right) and the Lagoon nebula. (NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory via CNN Newsource) The first test images from a groundbreaking observatory named for trailblazing astronomer Vera Rubin have captured the light from millions of distant stars and galaxies on an unprecedented scale — and are expected to reveal thousands of previously unseen asteroids. While the National Science Foundation has so far released only a couple of images and a brief video clip of the Vera C. Rubin Observatory's first imagery, more images and videos taken using the largest camera ever built are expected to be shared at 11:30 a.m. ET Monday on the agency's YouTube channel. The facility is jointly funded by the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy's Office of Science. The new images represent just over 10 hours of test observations, offering a brief preview of the observatory's decade-long mission to explore the mysteries of the universe like never before. 'NSF-DOE Rubin Observatory will capture more information about our universe than all optical telescopes throughout history combined,' said National Science Foundation Chief of Staff Brian Stone, who is currently performing the duties of the NSF director (as the position is currently vacant). A stunning first look Among the observatory's initial accomplishments was the discovery of 2,104 asteroids, including seven near-Earth asteroids, that have never been seen before in our solar system. None of the newly found near-Earth asteroids pose a risk to our planet, according to scientists at the observatory. Imagery of the asteroids is expected to be shared later Monday. While ground- and space-based telescopes spot about 20,000 asteroids each year, Rubin Observatory is expected to uncover millions of the space rocks within its first two years, according to the National Science Foundation. The telescope is also considered the most effective way to spot any interstellar comets or asteroids that may travel through our solar system. The observatory's mirror design, sensitive camera and telescope speed are all the first of its kind, enabling Rubin to spot tiny, faint objects such as asteroids. The observatory will also constantly take thousands of images every night, cataloging changes in brightness to reveal otherwise hidden space rocks like near-Earth asteroids that could be on a collision course with our planet, according to the foundation. A sneak peek shared Monday includes a video made from over 1,100 images captured by the observatory that begins with a detailed look at two galaxies. The video then zooms out to showcase about 10 million galaxies spotted by the camera's wide view — roughly 0.05% of the 20 billion galaxies Rubin will observe over 10 years. The observatory team also released a mosaic of the Trifid and Lagoon nebulae, which are star-forming regions that resemble clouds located in the Sagittarius constellation. The mosaic, made up of 678 separate images taken over just seven hours, captured faint and previously invisible details such as clouds of gas and dust in the nebulae, which are several thousand light-years away from Earth. Cluster of galaxies This image shows a small section of NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory's total view of the Virgo cluster of galaxies, including two spiral galaxies (lower right) and three merging galaxies (upper right). (NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory via CNN Newsource) The initial images were selected to showcase the telescope's enormous field of view, which enables detailed glimpses of interacting galaxies as well as broad views of millions of galaxies, said Dr. Yusra AlSayyad, deputy associate director of the data management subsystem for the Rubin Observatory. 'It has such a wide field of view and such a rapid cadence that you do have that movielike aspect to the night sky,' said Dr. Sandrine Thomas, telescope project scientist for the Rubin Observatory. The observatory, located in the Andes on the top of Cerro Pachón in Chile, is nearly complete after about two decades of work. The facility is set to achieve 'first light,' or make the first scientific observations of the Southern Hemisphere's sky using its 8.4-meter (27.5-foot) Simonyi Survey Telescope, on July 4. The telescope's location in the Southern Hemisphere allows for a great view of the Milky Way's galactic center, said Edward Ajhar, Rubin Observatory's program officer. The region in central Chile has also been home to other ground-based observatories and is favored for astronomical observations because it affords dry air and dark skies. The observatory's main objective is the Legacy Survey of Space and Time, an ultrawide and ultra-high-definition movie of the universe made by scanning the entire sky every few nights over 10 years to capture a time-lapse compilation of whizzing asteroids and comets, exploding stars, and distant galaxies as they change. The survey is expected to begin between four to seven months after first light. '(Rubin) will enable us to explore galaxies, stars in the Milky Way, objects in the solar system, and all in a truly new way. Since we take images of the night sky so quickly and so often, (it) will detect millions of changing objects literally every night,' said Dr. Aaron Roodman, professor of particle physics and astrophysics at Stanford University's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in California. Roodman was responsible for the assembly and testing of Rubin Observatory's camera. Solving cosmic mysteries Rubin's capabilities to spot interesting phenomena will also enable it to be a 'discovery machine' that can identify interesting areas of focus for other telescopes, Roodman said. The observatory could also enable the detection of previously unknown types of celestial objects. The telescope's namesake, considered to be one of the most influential women astronomers, provided some of the first evidence that dark matter existed. In Rubin's honor, the telescope is expected to continue her pioneering work. 'Through this remarkable scientific facility, we will explore many cosmic mysteries, including the dark matter and dark energy that permeate the universe,' Stone said. Dark matter is an enigmatic substance that shapes the cosmos, while dark energy is a force that accelerates the expansion rate of the universe, according to NASA. Though they are thought to make up most of the cosmos, both are impossible to directly observe but can be detected due to their gravitational effects. Vera C. Rubin Observatory The NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory, located on a mountaintop in Chile, will revolutionize the way astronomers explore the cosmos. (Aliro Pizarro Díaz/NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory via CNN Newsource) 'Rubin has enormous potential to help us learn what dark energy really is and how the universe's expansion is accelerating here, too,' Roodman said. 'Rubin's unique ability to see billions of galaxies and to image them repeatedly over 10 years will literally enable us to see the universe in a new way.'
