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Observatories and Instruments

Vera C. Rubin Observatory

Also Known As Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST)
Ground-Based Optical Observatories

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 Type
Ground-based optical observatory (wide-field survey) 2
Location
Cerro Pachon, Coquimbo Region, Chile 2
Operational
from 2025 2
First light occurred June 2025; full survey operations began in 2026.
Measures
Conducts 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. 2
Operating Principle
Uses 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. 2
Classification
Observing Band
Optical / Visible 1
Connections

Associated With

Dark Energy, Concepts
Source Vera C. Rubin Observatory / LSST - AboutVera C. Rubin Observatory / LSST Corporation
Dark Matter, Concepts
Source Vera C. Rubin Observatory / LSST - AboutVera C. Rubin Observatory / LSST Corporation
Large-Scale Structure of the Universe, Concepts

Operated By

Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Space Agencies and Companies
Source Vera C. Rubin Observatory (Wikipedia)
NOIRLab, Space Agencies and Companies
Source Vera C. Rubin Observatory (Wikipedia)
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Space Agencies and Companies
Source Vera C. Rubin Observatory (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases

Located In

Chile

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is located.

Sources
1. Vera C. Rubin Observatory (Wikipedia)
  • Vera C. Rubin Observatory, lead paragraph section
    conduct an astronomical survey of the southern sky every few nights
  • Vera C. Rubin Observatory, Simonyi Survey Telescope section
    a wide-field reflecting telescope with an 8.4-meter primary mirror
  • Article text: band optical
    6.5-m-class optical telescope designed to survey the visible sky
  • In Group: Optical Observatories of the Americas, Lead sentence
    Rubin Observatory, formerly the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST), is an astronomical observatory in Coquimbo Region, Chile.
  • Operated By: NOIRLab, Article text: operator
    It is a joint initiative of the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Science and is operated jointly by NSF NOIRLab and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.
  • Operated By: SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Article text: operator
    It is a joint initiative of the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Science and is operated jointly by NSF NOIRLab and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.
  • Operated By: Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Article text: operator
    Operations are managed by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA).
View the Source
2. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia Foundation
  • Vera C. Rubin Observatory, History section
    Formerly named the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST)
  • 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.
View the Source
Vera C. Rubin Observatory / LSST - About
Vera C. Rubin Observatory / LSST Corporation, Vera C. Rubin Observatory / LSST Corporation
  • Core science areas section
    Probing dark energy and dark matter
  • 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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