Latest news with #ŽeljkoIvezić
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
The Rubin Observatory found 2,104 asteroids in just a few days. It could soon find millions more.
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. It was weirdly emotional on Monday, June 23, as several grainy white specks streaked across my computer screen while ambient rhythms buzzed in the background. Those specks were part of a film that played during the Vera C. Rubin Observatory's highly anticipated first image release conference — and they each represented an asteroid that had just been discovered. It felt like witnessing something hugely profound, and there are two reasons why. First of all, to put it simply, with just a few nights of data, the Rubin Observatory team was able to identify 2,104 never-before-seen asteroids in our solar system — seven of which are categorized as near-Earth objects. (No, none are expected to strike our planet. Don't worry). For context, there are approximately a million known asteroids in our cosmic neighborhood; over the next few years, Rubin could very well hike that figure up to five million. "This is five times more than all the astronomers in the world discovered during the last 200 years since the discovery of the first asteroid," Željko Ivezić, Deputy Director of Rubin's Legacy Survey of Space and Time, said during the conference. "We can outdo two centuries of effort in just a couple of years." This is astonishing in itself — talk about an exemplary first impression — but there's still that second thing that makes Rubin's new asteroid data incredible. They can be formatted as movies. For some context about Rubin, this observatory is our brilliant new ground-based eye on the universe, and is located at the El Peñón peak of Cerro Pachón in Chile. It has the ability to image giant swaths of the sky using the world's largest digital camera — and when I say giant, I mean giant. Related: 6 incredible objects hidden in Vera C. Rubin Observatory's mind-boggling first image One of its first presented images, for instance, features a bunch of glowing, hazy galaxies of all shapes and sizes. It's difficult not to daydream when looking at a couple of lovely lavender spirals that represent realms comparable to our entire Milky Way. But what you see below in this image is only 2% of the full Rubin view: The plan is for Rubin to capture such massive, high-resolution images of the southern sky once every three nights for at least the next 10 years. You can therefore consider it to be a super-fast, super-efficient and super-thorough cosmic imager. Indeed, those qualities are perfect for spotting some of the smallest details trailing through the space around our planet: asteroids. "We make movies of the night sky to see two things: objects that move and objects that change brightness," Ivezić said. "Objects that move come in two flavors. Stars in our galaxy move, and they move slowly. Much faster objects are asteroids." Zooming into a tiny portion of one of Rubin's images, Ivezić pointed out that there are actually invisible photobombers present. He was talking about the asteroid streaks Rubin's software so kindly removed from the main attraction (I mean, look at that spiral). However, the fact that those asteroids can be removed from an image means they can be precisely isolated to begin with, making it possible to really focus on them if you want to — something that isn't always possible with zippy, fleeting space objects. In fact, it's tremendously difficult to record an asteroid at all. "Asteroids, they disappear after you get one picture of them," Ivezić said, calling Rubin's ability to image small objects orbiting the sun "unprecedented." In the Rubin image Ivezić called out to showcase the observatory's asteroid-tracking capabilities, the asteroid streaks are seen in different colors. This is because each corresponds to one exposure used to create the final image. You can think of it as different images stitched together to create a final view of the asteroids' trajectories. And to take things a step further, if you slap a few of these datasets together, you can indicate asteroid motion against the more static background of stars and galaxies — like a movie. This feature of Rubin should be huge not only because it'd allow scientists to better study asteroid movements and discover new near-Earth objects, but also for humanity's efforts in planetary defense. Over the last couple of years, scientists have really started to question how we can protect our planet if an asteroid were headed our way. NASA's wildly successful DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) mission — which sent a spacecraft on a death mission to crash into an asteroid and see if the object's trajectory can be changed — was arguably the feat that brought planetary defense to the public eye. It'd also be remiss not to mention all the recent anxiety surrounding Asteroid 2024 YR4, which was potent enough to even penetrate the jokes of a random comedy show in New York City I went to around the time it was making headlines. 2024 YR4 briefly had a head-turning likelihood of hitting our planet before that likelihood shot down to nil. RELATED STORIES —'City killer' asteroid 2024 YR4 could shower Earth with 'bullet-like' meteors if it hits the moon in 2032 —US Representatives worry Trump's NASA budget plan will make it harder to track dangerous asteroids —NASA's Lucy spacecraft snaps first close-ups of weird peanut-shaped asteroid There was even a hearing about asteroid safety in May, held by the U.S. House Committee on Space, Science and Technology, during which U.S. Representatives expressed their concern that asteroid defense may be impacted by President Trump's major science funding cuts. All of this is to say that I imagine a state-of-the-art asteroid detector is very welcome in the scientific community right now. To really illustrate the ultimate promise of Rubin's asteroid adventures, Ivezić brought up a simulation of all asteroids expected to orbit our sun. "This blue donut is a simulation of all asteroids we expect there," he said. "All of these new discoveries are found in this one narrow slice of this big donut. In two or three years, after we start LSST later this year, we will sweep around and discover all of the millions of asteroids." This article was originally published on
Hindustan Times
30-06-2025
- Science
- Hindustan Times
World Asteroid Day 2025: How to watch near-Earth asteroids live on June 30
On World Asteroid Day 2025, June 30, space enthusiasts and science lovers around the world can look forward to a special treat. On the 10th anniversary of the observation, a United Nations event will bring real-time views of near-Earth asteroids into people's homes for free. World Asteroid Day 2025 is on June 30 The UN began observing World Asteroid Day to raise awareness about the scientific value and potential risks of the asteroids. This event is held on the anniversary of the 1908 Tunguska event when a massive meteor explosion over Siberia had flattened over 80 million trees. According to a report, the Virtual Telescope Project will be hosting a free livestream of near-Earth asteroids beginning at 5 pm EDT on June 30 to mark the occasion. Viewers can tune in via their official YouTube channel. Astronomers will also be discussing the characteristics of asteroids and the ongoing efforts to defend Earth from possible future impacts. Why do asteroids matter? Earth has been struck by asteroids multiple times through the years. Some impacts, like the Chicxulub impactor, led to mass extinction events including that of the dinosaurs. The report further cited NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies stating that over 30,000 near-Earth objects (NEOs) have been identified. Fortunately, no major asteroid poses a risk of colliding with Earth in the next century. How are NASA and global partners working to prevent asteroid threats? According to the report, every year, global space agencies like NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) participate in the Planetary Defence Conference, where they simulate asteroid impact scenarios and refine response strategies. In 2022, NASA successfully conducted the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) by intentionally crashing a spacecraft into Dimorphos, a moonlet of asteroid Didymos, The NASA intended to test whether a collision could alter its trajectory and the test confirmed kinetic impact was a viable method for planetary defense. ESA's Hera mission will be revisiting the Didymos system in December 2026 to study the aftermath of the DART impact. Meanwhile, efforts to detect potentially hazardous asteroids are ramping up with the introduction of the Vera Rubin Observatory in Chile. During initial scans, the observatory detected over 2,100 new near-Earth objects within days. Željko Ivezić, deputy director of Rubin's Legacy Survey of Space and Time, was quoted as saying that two centuries' worth of effort can be outdone in just a couple of years. The observatory is expected to discover up to five million new asteroids in the coming years, revolutionising our ability to monitor space threats. FAQs: 1. What is World Asteroid Day? World Asteroid Day is a UN-backed annual event held on June 30 to raise awareness about asteroids and space safety. 2. How can I watch the asteroid livestream? The Virtual Telescope Project will stream it live on their YouTube channel starting at 5 pm EDT on June 30. 3. Is Earth at risk from asteroids? According to NASA, no large asteroid is projected to hit Earth in the next 100 years. 4. What is the DART mission? NASA's DART mission tested whether crashing a spacecraft into an asteroid could deflect its path. It succeeded in altering Dimorphos's orbit.
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
First Images From the World's Largest Camera Are Paving the Future of Astronomy
First Images From the World's Largest Camera Are Paving the Future of Astronomy originally appeared on L.A. Mag. On June 23rd, over 300 public and private Watch Parties tuned in to get a glimpse of the First Look images from Rubin Observatory, according to a Rubin Observatory press release. The reason? This observatory features the world's largest ever camera, an 8.4-meter telescope, and is at the forefront of the current astronomy works so well for three primary reasons: its scope, the detail of the images, and the time it takes to capture said images. For example, the image taken of the Trifid and Lagoon Nebulae utilized two trillion pixels of data and a combination of 678 exposures to create a 5-gigapixel image. Taken in just under 7.2 hours, this stunning image layers the large amount of different exposures to cast the image into enormous detail. Coupled with the extremely wide range of the camera, viewers can now see the Trifid and Lagoon Nebulae in striking and comprehensive first images are the product of over two decades of work from a global team, according to Željko Ivezić, Director of Rubin Observatory Construction. The facility, jointly funded by the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science and the U.S. National Science Foundation, was built at the summit of Cerro Pachón in Chile, where the high elevation, dry air, and dark skies provide an ideal location for astronomical observations. According to Michael Kratsios, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, the 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.' Brian Stone, performing the duties of NSF director, details these 'remarkable achievements' by stating how Rubin will 'capture more information about our Universe than all optical telescopes throughout history combined,' including information about dark matter and dark observatory's relationship with dark matter is deeply embedded within the observatory's history, specifically concerning its namesake. The observatory is named after Vera C. Rubin, a pioneering U.S. astronomer who found conclusive evidence for dark matter. Dark matter and dark energy are important because they are key players in what is facilitating our universe's expansion, according to NASA. So what's next for the Vera Rubin Observatory? According to CNN, the observatory will make the first scientific observations of the Southern Hemisphere (also known as 'first light') on July 4th. Looking ahead, over the next ten years, the observatory will take 1000 images of the Southern Hemisphere every night as part of the observatory's primary mission to meticulously capture the universe's changes: the Legacy Survey of Space and Time. These images will not only be important for astronomical discoveries, but also for planetary defense, as having more precise images will allow us to better observe and predict asteroids that may potentially impact the Moon or the Earth. Additionally, the observatory seeks to bring cutting-edge astronomical data and images to the general public through the interactive, user-friendly SkyViewer app. The app offers both guided and free-form exploration of select Rubin images as well as an interactive sonification that encourages users to experience the wonder of the cosmos through an endless soundscape. This story was originally reported by L.A. Mag on Jun 27, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
The Rubin Observatory found 2,104 asteroids in just a few days. It could soon find millions more
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. It was weirdly emotional on Monday (June 23) as several grainy white specks streaked across my computer screen while ambient rhythms buzzed in the background. Those specks were part of a film that played during the Vera C. Rubin Observatory's highly anticipated first image release conference — and they each represented an asteroid that had just been discovered. It felt like witnessing something hugely profound, and there are two reasons why. First of all, to put it simply, with just a few nights of data, the Rubin Observatory team was able to identify 2,104 never-before-seen asteroids in our solar system — seven of which are categorized as near-Earth objects. (No, none are expected to strike our planet. Don't worry). For context, there are approximately a million known asteroids in our cosmic neighborhood; over the next few years, Rubin could very well hike that figure up to five million. "This is five times more than all the astronomers in the world discovered during the last 200 years since the discovery of the first asteroid," Željko Ivezić, Deputy Director of Rubin's Legacy Survey of Space and Time, said during the conference. "We can outdo two centuries of effort in just a couple of years." This is astonishing in itself — talk about an exemplary first impression — but there's still that second thing that makes Rubin's new asteroid data incredible. They can be formatted as movies. For some context about Rubin, this observatory is our brilliant new ground-based eye on the universe, and is located at the El Peñón peak of Cerro Pachón in Chile. It has the ability to image giant swaths of the sky using the world's largest digital camera — and when I say giant, I mean giant. One of its first presented images, for instance, features a bunch of glowing, hazy galaxies of all shapes and sizes. It's difficult not to daydream when looking at a couple of lovely lavender spirals that represent realms comparable to our entire Milky Way. But what you see below in this image is only 2% of the full Rubin view: The plan is for Rubin to capture such massive, high-resolution images of the southern sky once every three nights for at least the next 10 years. You can therefore consider it to be a super-fast, super-efficient and super-thorough cosmic imager. Indeed, those qualities are perfect for spotting some of the smallest details trailing through the space around our planet: asteroids. "We make movies of the night sky to see two things: objects that move and objects that change brightness," Ivezić said. "Objects that move come in two flavors. Stars in our galaxy move, and they move slowly. Much faster objects are asteroids." Zooming into a tiny portion of one of Rubin's images, Ivezić pointed out that there are actually invisible photobombers present. He was talking about the asteroid streaks Rubin's software so kindly removed from the main attraction (I mean, look at that spiral). However, the fact that those asteroids can be removed from an image means they can be precisely isolated to begin with, making it possible to really focus on them if you want to — something that isn't always possible with zippy, fleeting space objects. In fact, it's tremendously difficult to record an asteroid at all. "Asteroids, they disappear after you get one picture of them," Ivezić said, calling Rubin's ability to image small objects orbiting the sun "unprecedented." In the Rubin image Ivezić called out to showcase the observatory's asteroid-tracking capabilities, the asteroid streaks are seen in different colors. This is because each corresponds to one exposure used to create the final image. You can think of it as different images stitched together to create a final view of the asteroids' trajectories. And to take things a step further, if you slap a few of these datasets together, you can indicate asteroid motion against the more static background of stars and galaxies — like a movie. This feature of Rubin should be huge not only because it'd allow scientists to better study asteroid movements and discover new near-Earth objects, but also for humanity's efforts in planetary defense. Over the last couple of years, scientists have really started to question how we can protect our planet if an asteroid were headed our way. NASA's wildly successful DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) mission — which sent a spacecraft on a death mission to crash into an asteroid and see if the object's trajectory can be changed — was arguably the feat that brought planetary defense to the public eye. It'd also be remiss not to mention all the recent anxiety surrounding Asteroid 2024 YR4, which was potent enough to even penetrate the jokes of a random comedy show in New York City I went to around the time it was making headlines. 2024 YR4 briefly had a head-turning likelihood of hitting our planet before that likelihood shot down to nil. There was even a hearing about asteroid safety in May, held by the U.S. House Committee on Space, Science and Technology, during which U.S. Representatives expressed their concern that asteroid defense may be impacted by President Trump's major science funding cuts. All of this is to say that I imagine a state-of-the-art asteroid detector is very welcome in the scientific community right now. To really illustrate the ultimate promise of Rubin's asteroid adventures, Ivezić brought up a simulation of all asteroids expected to orbit our sun. RELATED STORIES — Vera C Rubin Observatory reveals 1st stunning images of the cosmos. Scientists are 'beyond excited about what's coming' — Satellite streaks: Can the huge new Vera Rubin Observatory function in the megaconstellation age? — World's largest digital camera to help new Vera Rubin Observatory make a 'time-lapse record of the universe' (video) "This blue donut is a simulation of all asteroids we expect there," he said. "All of these new discoveries are found in this one narrow slice of this big donut. In two or three years, after we start LSST later this year, we will sweep around and discover all of the millions of asteroids."
San Francisco Chronicle
23-06-2025
- Science
- San Francisco Chronicle
Cutting-edge astronomy facility with Bay Area ties releases incredible space photos
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory, a cutting-edge astronomy facility with Bay Area connections, unveiled its first images taken with its record-setting camera in a presentation Monday, including pictures of swirling galaxies and nebulae. The snapshots are a preview of what will be a 10-year movie of the cosmos that scientists say will enable significant scientific advances, including an inventory of the solar system and insights into dark matter and dark energy. 'This observatory is the greatest astronomical discovery machine ever built,' said Željko Ivezić, director of the Rubin Observatory's construction, during the presentation. The observatory is located atop Cerro Pachón, a mountain in central Chile. But its car-sized camera, the largest digital camera ever built, was constructed at Stanford's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in Menlo Park. It would take 400 ultra-high definition TV screens to display a single image taken by the 3,200-megapixel camera. Employees and visitors eagerly watched the First Look briefing at a SLAC auditorium in Menlo Park on Monday morning, breaking out in applause when images of galaxies appeared on screen. The new camera will take images of the entire southern night sky every three nights, for 10 years. Scientists expect to detect wandering asteroids and comets, supernovae, variable stars and exotic events, like stars being torn apart by black holes. Cataloging galaxies in the night sky also will provide insight into dark matter, a mysterious substance that scientists can't see, but affects the distribution of galaxies in the universe. This continuous movie is 'an astronomer's dream come true," said Andrew Fraknoi, an astronomy professor at the University of San Francisco. The observatory is named for Vera Rubin, an American astronomer whose pioneering work provided evidence for the existence of dark matter. The Rubin Observatory is a joint initiative of the U.S. National Science Foundation and U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science, and operated by SLAC and NSF NOIRLab. 'The movie has started, the camera is running and we're going to see our cosmos unfold before us,' said U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright in a short video.
