Dukes Role in Revolutionizing Cosmic Observations: The Unveiling of the Vera C. Rubin Observatorys 3,200 Megapixel Camera

In a recent First Look watch party at Duke University’s Wallace Wade Stadium, a group of physicists, astronomers, and journalists eagerly awaited the first highly anticipated images from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory. The observatory, located in Chile’s Andes mountains, has been a work in progress for the past two decades and has been funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Office of Science in the U.S. Department of Energy.

Chris Walter, a physics professor at Duke University, spent two years working on the observatory in Chile, where he rode a two-hour bus ride from the coastal town of La Serena to the top of the Andes mountains. The observatory, located beside other telescopes on the Cerro Pachón mountain, was described by Walter as “very dry” and “typically not that hot,” in stark contrast to the 96-degree heat in Durham.

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory is named for astronomer Vera Rubin, an advocate for women in science. It will provide unprecedented amounts of data about the universe, only 5% of which is understood. The observatory’s 3,200 megapixel digital camera, described as “the size of a small car but twice as heavy,” is capable of taking 20 terabytes worth of ultra-high resolution, ultra-wide images of the night sky in the southern hemisphere every night. One image can contain nearly 10 million galaxies, allowing the telescope to survey the universe every three days.

The observatory will collect photos for 10 years, creating a digital record of the cosmos over space and time. This compilation of pictures, known as the Legacy Survey of Space and Time, will be the most detailed time-lapse of the universe. The survey’s dataset will include roughly 40 billion stars, galaxies, and solar system objects that will have been observed over 800 times.

The data from the Rubin observatory will help scientists answer questions about the universe, such as how the Milky Way formed and what the 95% of the universe that is unknown is made of. Duke cosmologists hope to gain a better understanding of dark energy, which accounts for 68% of the universe and which NASA describes as an unknown force accelerating the expansion of the universe. “Dark energy seems to be less of a thing and more of a property of space,” said Walter. “It’s very mysterious.”

However, there are concerns about whether the Rubin observatory will be affected by NSF budget cuts proposed by President Trump. The proposed cuts would slash NSF funding by 57% compared to 2024, and while the Rubin observatory’s funding is set to increase from $17 to $32 million, that total is 20% less than what was expected. The proposed cuts are part of Trump’s larger mission to decrease science spending across the board, and it is unclear whether these cuts will be enacted as the proposal must be approved by Congress.

Despite these concerns, the Vera C. Rubin Observatory remains a beacon of hope for those seeking to understand the mysteries of the universe. With its state-of-the-art technology and cutting-edge research, it promises to reveal new insights into our cosmic neighbors and help us better comprehend our place in the vast expanse of space.