World's largest digital camera to help new Vera Rubin Observatory make a 'time-lapse record of the universe' (video)
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission.
A major milestone with the Vera C. Rubin Observatory has been reached with the installation of the telescope's enormous LSST Camera — the last optical component required before the last phase of testing can begin.
The car-sized Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) Camera that was recently installed on the Vera C. Rubin Observatory is the largest digital camera ever built and will be used to capture detailed images of the southern hemisphere sky over a decade.
"The installation of the LSST Camera on the telescope is a triumph of science and engineering," said Harriet Kung, Acting Director of the Department of Energy's Office of Science in a statement. "We look forward to seeing the unprecedented images this camera will produce."
The telescope is funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science and is named after Dr. Vera C. Rubin, an American astronomer whose work provided strong evidence for the existence of dark matter. Along with her colleague Kent Ford, Rubin observed that in the numerous galaxies they studied, stars at the outer edges were moving just as fast as those near the center. This was unusual because, according to Newtonian physics and Kepler's laws of planetary motion, objects farther from the center of a gravitational system should orbit more slowly due to the weaker gravitational pull.
After accounting for all visible matter, the gravitational force from the observed mass wasn't enough to keep these fast-moving stars bound to the galaxy. Without additional mass providing extra gravitational pull, the galaxies should have been flying apart. This discrepancy led to the conclusion that an unseen form of mass, now known as dark matter, was holding them together.
Following its namesake, the Rubin telescope will investigate the mysteries of dark energy and dark matter with cutting-edge technology. Its state-of-the-art mirror design, highly sensitive camera, rapid survey speed and advanced computing infrastructure each represent breakthroughs in their respective fields.
Every few nights, it will survey the entire sky, creating an "ultra-wide, ultra-high-definition time-lapse record of the universe," the statement adds. Each image will be so massive that displaying it would require 400 ultra-high-definition TV screens.
"This unique movie will bring the night sky to life, yielding a treasure trove of discoveries: asteroids and comets, pulsating stars, and supernova explosions," states the observatory's website.
While the LSST Camera is an engineering marvel, its installation was equally challenging. In March 2025, after months of testing in Rubin Observatory's clean room, the summit team used a vertical platform lift to move the camera to the telescope floor. A custom lifting device then carefully positioned and secured it on the telescope for the first time.
RELATED STORIES:
— How Earth's new Rubin Observatory will usher in the next era of asteroid space missions
— Rubin Observatory aces 1st image tests, gets ready to use world's largest digital camera
— Scientists alarmed as Rubin Observatory changes biography of astronomer Vera Rubin amid Trump's push to end DEI efforts
"Mounting the LSST Camera onto the Simonyi Telescope was an effort requiring intense planning, teamwork across the entire observatory and millimeter-precision execution," said Freddy Muñoz, Rubin Observatory Mechanical Group Lead. "Watching the LSST Camera take its place on the telescope is a proud moment for us all."
Over the coming weeks, the LSST Camera's utilities and systems will be connected and tested. Soon, it will be ready to capture detailed images of the night sky. The Rubin telescope, under construction in Cerro Pachón, Chile, is expected to see first light in 2025.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
29 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Monster black hole M87 is spinning at 80% of the cosmic speed limit — and pulling in matter even faster
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. The monster black hole lurking at the center of galaxy M87 is an absolute beast. It is one of the largest in our vicinity and was the ideal first target for the Event Horizon Telescope. Scientists have taken a fresh look at the supermassive black hole using those iconic Event Horizon Telescope images and have now figured out just how fast this monster is spinning and how much material it's devouring. The results are pretty mind-blowing. This black hole, which weighs in at 6.5 billion times the mass of our Sun, is spinning at roughly 80% of the theoretical maximum speed possible in the universe. To put that in perspective, the inner edge of its accretion disk is whipping around at about 14% the speed of light - that's around 42 million meters per second. The team figured this out by studying the "bright spot" in the original black hole images. That asymmetric glow isn't just there for show - it's caused by something called relativistic Doppler beaming. The material on one side of the disk is moving toward us so fast that it appears much brighter than the material moving away from us. By measuring this brightness difference, the scientists could calculate the rotation speed. But here's where it gets really interesting. The researchers also looked at the magnetic field patterns around the black hole, which act like a roadmap for how material spirals inward. They discovered that matter is falling into the black hole at about 70 million meters per second - roughly 23% the speed of light. Using these measurements, they estimated that M87's black hole is consuming somewhere between 0.00004 to 0.4 solar masses worth of material every year. That might sound like a lot, but it's actually pretty modest for such a massive black hole - it's operating well below what scientists call the "Eddington limit," meaning it's in a relatively quiet phase. Related: Scientists just proved that 'monster' black hole M87 is spinning — confirming Einstein's relativity yet again Perhaps most importantly, the energy from all this in-falling material appears to perfectly match the power output of M87's famous jet - that spectacular beam of particles shooting out at near light-speed that extends for thousands of light-years. This supports the idea that these powerful jets are indeed powered by the black hole's feeding process. RELATED STORIES —Time-lapse of 1st black hole ever imaged reveals how matter swirls around it —Astronomers discover black hole ripping a star apart inside a galactic collision. 'It is a peculiar event' —Not 'Little Red Dots' or roaring quasars: James Webb telescope uncovers new kind of 'hidden' black hole never seen before The study represents a major step forward in understanding how supermassive black holes work. While previous estimates of M87's spin ranged anywhere from 0.1 to 0.98, this new method suggests it's definitely on the high end - at least 0.8 and possibly much closer to the theoretical maximum of 0.998. As we gear up for even more powerful telescopes and imaging techniques, M87's black hole will likely remain a cosmic laboratory for testing our understanding of gravity, spacetime, and the most extreme physics in the universe. Each new measurement brings us closer to answering fundamental questions about how these cosmic monsters shape entire galaxies and maybe even how they'll influence the ultimate fate of the cosmos itself. The original version of this article was published on Universe Today.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
The Milky Way will be visible across the US this month. Here's how to get the best views.
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. The bright band of the Milky Way is about to make its first great appearance of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. There are few more impressive sights than the arc of the Milky Way spanning the night sky, but skywatchers don't always know exactly how, when and where to see it. In fact, one-third of humanity — and 80% of Americans — cannot see it. The reason is light pollution, with the sky's brightness increasing by between 7% and 10% per year between 2011 and 2023, according to a 2023 study published in the journal Science. As a result, if you want to see the Milky Way, you'll need to be as far away from light pollution as possible. Good options include a Dark Sky Place or somewhere that looks dark on a light pollution map. Although the Milky Way can be seen in some form for about eight months of the year, the galaxy's bright core becomes easier to see — and gets higher in the sky — as of May as seen from midlatitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, which includes the entire continental United States and the most populated parts of Canada. Related: The 10 best stargazing events of 2025 According to the Milky Way photography website Capture The Atlas, "Milky Way season" runs from February to October, usually between midnight and 5 a.m. local time, though your location and the phase of the moon matter a lot. During May, the period between the last quarter moon on May 20 and the new moon on May 30 is the time to look for the Milky Way. RELATED STORIES —Does the Milky Way orbit anything? —How many galaxies orbit the Milky Way? —James Webb telescope spots Milky Way's long-lost 'twin' — and it is 'fundamentally changing our view of the early universe' Even if you have a clear, moonless night, the viewing window is further restricted by when the galaxy's bright core rises from your location. The key is to find out when the Summer Triangle — a shape formed by three bright stars — becomes visible. This vast asterism of Deneb in the constellation Cygnus, Vega in Lyra and Altair in Aquila sits across the Milky Way. If it's above the horizon, you have a good chance of spotting it. Between May 20 and May 30, the Summer Triangle will be up in the east at midnight and higher in the southeast by 3 a.m. local time. The Milky Way will rise higher into the sky — and appear earlier — as the Summer Triangle becomes more prominent in June and July, but a lack of darkness at mid-northern latitudes around the solstice on June 20-21 makes May the best time to grab a first glance before the Milky Way gets much brighter and higher in the sky in August and September.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Sampling a 'quasi-moon': What's next for China's newly launched Tianwen 2 asteroid-sampling mission
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. China's latest deep-space mission is underway. The Tianwen 2 asteroid-comet probe lifted off on Tuesday (May 28), riding into the final frontier atop a Long March 3B rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwestern China. Tianwen 2 marks another step forward in China's ever-advancing, ever-ambitious robotic exploration program. Here's a brief rundown of what the spacecraft will do over the next few years, and what milestones it will achieve for China. Tianwen 2 is headed for Kamo'oalewa (also known as 2016 HO3), a near-Earth asteroid (NEA) discovered in 2016 that's between 100 and 330 feet (40 and 100 meters) wide. Kamo'oalewa is no ordinary space rock; it's a "quasi-moon" of Earth, meaning it circles the sun on a path that keeps it close to our planet. Earth has seven known quasi-satellites, including Cardea, which was recently named via a contest organized by the International Astronomical Union and the science podcast Radiolab. Kamo'oalewa is among the most interesting of these cosmic fellow travelers. Unlike most NEAs, it doesn't appear to have come from the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter; rather, astronomers think it's a chunk of the moon that was blasted out by a giant impact within the past 10 million years. Analysis of the space rock could confirm that theory; it could also shed light on the evolution of the solar system. Tianwen 2 will deliver some of this key data, if all goes according to plan. The probe is expected to reach Kamo'oalewa in July of 2026. It will perform up-close observations with a variety of science gear, including cameras, spectrometers, a magnetometer and a dust analyzer. This work will reveal insights about the quasi-moon and help the team select a suitable sampling site. The probe will then swoop down to collect about 100 grams (3.5 ounces) of material from the space rock, apparently using two different methods: "touch and go" and "anchor and attach." The latter approach, which requires the use of one or more drills, has never been tried before, but touch and go is tried and true; NASA's OSIRIS-REx probe and Japan's Hayabusa2 used it to snag samples of the asteroids Bennu and Ryugu, respectively. Tianwen 2 will depart Kamo'oalewa in April 2027, hauling the space rock samples back to Earth. A capsule containing this precious material will land here about seven months later, but the mothership will fly on. Tianwen 2 will get a "gravity assist" from the Earth return, thanks to which it'll slingshot around our planet on its way to its second destination — the comet 311P/PANSTARRS, which resides in the asteroid belt. 311P/PANSTARRS, also known as P/2013 P5, was discovered in 2013 by astronomers using the Pan-STARRS 1 telescope in Hawaii. Like Kamo'oalewa, 311P/PANSTARRS is something of an oddball; it has both asteroid and comet features and is therefore sometimes categorized as an "active asteroid." For example, the 1,570-foot-wide (480-meter-wide) 311P/PANSTARRS sports six dust tails, perhaps because it's spinning fast enough to fling considerable amounts of its surface material into space. Tianwen 2 will arrive in orbit around the comet in 2035, then measure the target using its onboard instrument suite (all from afar; Tianwen-2 will not land on or sample 311P/PANSTARRS). The probe's data could reveal insights about active asteroids and comets in general, and also help establish which type of small body is largely responsible for delivering water to Earth billions of years ago. Related stories: — China to launch Tianwen 2 asteroid-sampling mission in 2025 — Earth's weird 'quasi-moon' Kamo'oalewa is a fragment blasted out of big moon crater — Tianwen 1: China's first Mars mission Tianwen 2 is China's first-ever mission to an asteroid or a comet, and just its second planetary exploration effort overall. The first, Tianwen 1, sent an orbiter and a rover to Mars in 2020. More of these missions are coming; China aims to launch the Tianwen 3 Mars sample-return mission in 2028 and Tianwen 4, a joint Jupiter-Uranus project, two years later. In fact, Tianwen 2 isn't China's first sample-return mission; the nation has pulled off two already. Chang'e 5 hauled material from the moon's nearside to Earth in December 2020, and Chang'e 6 returned the first-ever samples from the lunar farside in June 2024.
