The Rubin Observatory space mission has recently produced images of their space mapping program, as announced Tuesday.
Formally, the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, which aims to produce detailed images of galaxies, nebulas and thousands of previously undiscovered asteroids. This was the first exhibition, with only 10 hours of observation.
Rider University in Lawrenceville joins 30 other institutions in contributing to this project, formally known as the Legacy Survey of Space and Time. This partnership also opens research opportunities for students.
From a mountaintop in Chile, Rubin will scan the sky every night for 10 years. With the world’s largest digital camera (similar in size to a Mini Cooper and boasting a resolution of 3.2 billion pixels), the observatory will ultimately create an ultra high-definition time-lapse record of the universe.
The images it captures will create a vast treasure trove of data for scientists to mine. Scientists hope Rubin will elucidate the nature of dark energy, a force pushing the universe apart, and dark matter, a theorized form of matter that would explain how galaxies hold together, as well as assist in the search for a potential ninth planet in our solar system.
John Bochanski, an associate professor and the chair of Rider’s Department of Computer Science and Physics, has been connected to the long-gestating project. He explains how Rider and other universities are helping collaborate with Rubin.
“I’ll be recruiting undergrads to help with research, and for Rider students interested in data analysis, this will be a great tool,” he said. “They will have access to the same data served up to top-tier researchers.”
“One of the great things about Rubin is that they’ve put a lot of effort into making sure that many different universities can get involved. Giving a lot of people access to data makes this project special.”
