Into the Impossible With Brian Keating First Data from Vera Rubin Observatory Rewrites Astronomy (Starting Now)
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Jun 23, 2025 In this engaging dialogue, Mario Jurić, a Professor at the University of Washington and the Director of the Dirac Center, shares groundbreaking insights from the newly commissioned Vera Rubin Observatory. Jurić reveals how the observatory rapidly discovered over 2,000 asteroids in just ten hours, revolutionizing asteroid detection. He discusses its capabilities in multi-messenger astronomy, the promise of mapping dark matter, and upcoming data that might change our cosmic understanding. The conversation also touches on democratizing astronomy through citizen science and the integration of AI in data analysis.
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Mario's First Data Emotion
- Mario Jurić described his emotional reaction seeing the Rubin Observatory and its data for the first time after 20 years of work.
- He compared it to what rocket engineers must feel when launching a rocket for the first time.
Democratizing Astronomy Access
- Rubin Observatory provides open data and software to everyone, democratizing astronomy.
- The entire sky is scanned every three nights, enabling any astronomer or even amateurs to use a large telescope virtually.
Rubin's Gigapixel Wide Field Images
- Rubin Observatory's camera has 3.2 gigapixels covering 3.5 degrees on the sky, about six times the moon's apparent size.
- In just 10 hours, it took 1,800 images over three pointings, producing a deep, detailed view with immense data volume.