Vera C. Rubin Observatory Unveils Spectacular First Images from Space

Nestled atop Cerro Pachon, at an altitude of 2,682 meters, beneath the pristine skies of the Atacama Desert (Chile), a new type of American telescope is about to begin its mission. While the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, named after the American astronomer responsible for the discovery of the existence of dark matter , is not the first designed to carry out astronomical surveys, the precision and scale of its mission are about to eclipse all others.

Over the next ten years, the Vera-Rubin is expected to map the entire southern hemisphere sky more than 800 times in total, at a rate of once every three to four days, using a primary mirror 8.4 meters in diameter, on the one hand, but more importantly, a digital camera with an unprecedented resolution of 3,200 megapixels. Weighing in at 3 tons and with dimensions equivalent to those of a small car, this CCD sensor is the largest and most precise camera ever made.

On Monday, June 23, the observatory released the first three images, taken between April 21 and May 4. The first two show part of the Virgo cluster, while the third reveals the Trifid and Lagoon nebulae, both located in the constellation of Sagittarius.

You have 75.21% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.