The real Rubin Observatory publishes the first images: nebulae, galaxies, asteroids and data to map the universe in almost real time.
After more than two decades of waiting, the Vera Rubin Observatory He finally revealed his first images: a breathtaking look at the universe, which ranges from the nebulae within our galaxy to Galaxies clusters and to asteroids located between the earth and Mars.
Nebula: the surprising details of the Vera Rubin
Taken in seven hours with a mosaic of 678 Exhibitionsthe images of the TRIFIDA NEGULOSA and of the Lagoon Nebula – at 9,000 and 5,200 light years of distance – show stars and clouds of gas in vivid colors. The rose of the ionized regions and the orange of the interstellar powder stand out, details that previous tools had never captured with this sharpness. As he points out Rachel Websterastrophysics of the University of Melbourne: “The images are also clear to the greatest magnifications”.
Pirents of the Virgin: a galactic ballet
A second set of images resumed thePirents of the Virginabout 55 million light yearsshowing a multitude of galaxies, some in the merger phase. The exceptional visual field of the Observatory has made it possible to document mysterious smudges – blurred or not very defined regions of light, often attributable to weak or distant galaxies – e Stellar bridges Among galaxies, indicating the possible presence of systems without a defined bright center. As he explains Tania Baron of Swinburne University: “James Webb would capture only one galaxy, here we see the entire context”.
Asteroids: a rapid “census” of the sky
In sunny 10 hours of observationsRubin has identified 2,104 new asteroids in the solar system, of which seven are Near-Earth (Neo) objectsFortunately, without a risk of collision. A result that positions it at the forefront in the surveillance of potentially dangerous objects.
Revolutionary skills and long -term objectives
Rubin hosts a telescope from 8.4 meters and the largest Digital Chamber in the worldfrom 3,200 Megapixel. Located a 2,682 meters altitude on the Cerro Pachónin the Atacama desert, benefits from an exceptionally stable atmosphere, ideal for astronomical observations.
The heart of the project is the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST): one Tenth -century mapping of the southern skywith images every three nights to monitor billions of stars, galaxies, supernova and asteroids. This will allow not only to identify objects on their course approaching the earth, but also to follow The dynamic evolution of the observable universe In a few days.
The immediate release of alerts on events transient – as explosions of supernova, gamma flashes, variations in brightness of stars or galaxies – with updates in less than 60 seconds: a novelty that will revolutionize theTime-Domain astronomy (i.e. study of the sky carried out by observing how astronomical objects and phenomena change over time).
To conquer darkness: dark matter and dark energy
Entitled to the pioneer Vera Rubinwhich first demonstrated the existence of the dark matterthe Observatory also has among its objectives to investigate the mysteries ofdark energy and make the largest “Cosmic movie” Never produced: a sequence in motion of the evolution of the cosmos.
