A wide-field survey observatory on Cerro Pachon, Chile, whose decade-long Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST), jointly funded by the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy, has probing dark energy and dark matter as one of its four core science drivers.
Facts
Observatory TypeGround-based optical observatory (wide-field survey) 1 LocationCerro Pachon, Coquimbo Region, Chile 1 OperationalFirst light occurred June 2025; full survey operations began in 2026. MeasuresConducts a visible-light, wide-field survey of about 18,000 square degrees of the southern sky through six color filters, revisiting each spot roughly 825 times over ten years. 1 Operating PrincipleUses an 8.4-meter wide-field reflecting primary mirror paired with a 3.2-gigapixel CCD camera to capture broad sky views in single exposures. 1 Cross-Tradition Connections
Sources
1. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationVera C. Rubin Observatory, lead paragraph sectionQuote, Vera C. Rubin Observatory, lead paragraph section
conduct an astronomical survey of the southern sky every few nights
1. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationVera C. Rubin Observatory, History sectionQuote, Vera C. Rubin Observatory, History section
Formerly named the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST)
1. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationVera C. Rubin Observatory, Scientific goals sectionQuote, Vera C. Rubin Observatory, Scientific goals section
The Observatory will image about 18000 deg2 of the southern sky with six filters in its main survey, with about 825 visits to each spot over 10 years.
1. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationVera C. Rubin Observatory, Simonyi Survey Telescope sectionQuote, Vera C. Rubin Observatory, Simonyi Survey Telescope section
a wide-field reflecting telescope with an 8.4-meter primary mirror
Vera C. Rubin Observatory / LSST - About
Vera C. Rubin Observatory / LSST Corporation, Vera C. Rubin Observatory / LSST CorporationCore science areas sectionQuote, Core science areas section
Probing dark energy and dark matter
Vera C. Rubin Observatory / LSST - About
Vera C. Rubin Observatory / LSST Corporation, Vera C. Rubin Observatory / LSST CorporationAssociated With: Dark Energy, Funding agencies sectionQuote, Associated With: Dark Energy, Funding agencies section
National Science Foundation (NSF) - Cooperative Agreement No. 1258333; Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science - Contract No. DE-AC02-76SF00515
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