Rubin Observatory: First Photon with LSST Camera is imminent!

Rubin Observatory Construction will be completed in about half a year: LSST will start before the end of 2025!

Many major milestones were accomplished in 2024, with first on-sky images obtained with an engineering camera demonstrating that the Simony Survey Telescope (SST) is operational. In early March, the main LSST camera was attached to the telescope and we anticipate the first on-sky images, the so-called First Photon milestone, in April.

Going back to the accomplishments from 2024, the primary/tertiary mirror (M1M3) for SST was coated with a layer of silver in April 2024 and thus prepared for final integration with the rest of the telescope.  The last major piece of equipment, the LSST Camera, was shipped from SLAC to Chile in May 2024. The successful transport of the camera and supporting equipment and tools, (3 large containers and 47 crates) to Chile, first by Boeing 747 plane from San Francisco to Santiago and then by 9 trucks to the Observatory, was a major step towards the completion of the Rubin Observatory. 

Rubin’s Simony Survey Telescope was fully integrated for the first time in early October 2024, with all three mirrors and an engineering (commissioning) camera installed. After 10 years of intensive construction of the Rubin Observatory, and 20 years since the project began, the first images of the night sky were obtained with engineering camera on October 24, 2024! In parallel with hardware integration and commissioning, software pipelines are being completed and tested using extant and Rubin Auxiliary Telescope data, as well as these commissioning image data. In particular, the Rubin group at DiRAC is leading the Alert Pipeline testing and commissioning. 

After using this telescope configuration to image the sky until mid-December 2024, the Rubin team removed the 144-megapixel engineering camera and installed the final science component: the car-sized 3,200-megapixel LSST camera. We except the very first on-sky images with the LSST Camera in April, the first science quality images by early summer, the completion of the construction project by the end of September, and the start of 10-year Legacy Survey of Space and Time before the end of 2025.

As Rubin Observatory Construction is nearing its completion, the Rubin Operations Team is preparing for the start of LSST and relentless sky surveying, while several thousand members of eight Rubin Science Collaborations are finalizing their preparations and tools for data analysis. DiRAC’s members are playing a major role in these preparations and positioning themselves to partake in the rich harvest of science results to be soon enabled by LSST data!

Prof. Željko Ivezić

Director of Rubin Construction

Professor of Astronomy, University of Washington

DiRAC Members Drive Success in Testing Rubin’s Active Optics System in Chile

By Suberlak, Crenshaw, Kalmbach, Connolly

The Vera Rubin Observatory recently completed an extensive testing run using its engineering test camera (ComCam), marking a significant milestone toward full operations. Beginning as a dream in 1998, and under construction since 2015, this exciting moment marks the first time Rubin has observed the night sky. This crucial seven-week testing phase, which ran from late October to mid-December 2024, utilized ComCam—a smaller version containing just nine of the 189 CCD sensors that will be present in the final 3.2-gigapixel LSST Camera.

Members of the DiRAC Institute—Andrew Connolly, John Franklin Crenshaw, Bryce Kalmbach, and Chris Suberlak—played a central role in the testing, working on-site in Chile throughout the session. Their work focused primarily on Rubin’s Active Optics System (AOS), which maintains optimal image quality across the telescope’s 9.6 deg2 field of view by analyzing wavefront sensor data in real-time, calculating necessary adjustments, and controlling the positioning actuators on the primary and secondary mirrors despite environmental challenges like temperature fluctuations and mechanical stress. Successful operation of this complex system is necessary for Rubin to achieve its lofty science goals.

“35 out of the 52 nights of the engineering run featured at least one of the DiRAC team members on the summit. During one of the observing nights, Suberlak gave a quick online tour of the summit control room, answering questions via livestream for DiRAC guests gathered at the UW Planetarium. Much of the night’s work focused on implementing and testing new control software settings and evaluating how pipeline improvements affected image quality. These tests required close collaboration between AOS test scientists, observing specialists, and other team members, who provided rapid feedback to debug software and hardware issues.

No two nights felt dull or repetitive. One evening, a series of images revealed an unusual light pattern—something the team had never seen before. After two trips to the telescope dome, they discovered the culprit: a light source beneath the main 8.2 m mirror (M1/M3) had been left on due to a low-level software bug. On another occasion, thick clouds covered nearly the entire sky, and the weather forecast predicted slim chances of capturing useful images. Yet, as the night progressed, the sky unexpectedly cleared. Not only did the team manage
to take images, but the quality exceeded expectations—better than on many other nights—thanks in part to the AOS feedback loop.

We eagerly anticipate what the commissioning of the LSST Camera (LsstCam) will bring!

Andy Connolly and Bryce Kalmbach (on zoom) after setting a new record for delivered image resolution
Chris Suberlak and the team in the control room
Rubin Observatory at sunset Credit: John Franklin Crenshaw
John Franklin Crenshaw and Colin Slater, with the rest of the summit team, on the very last night of ComCam Commissioning
The sumit control room
John Franklin Crenshaw, after opening the dome for a night of testing
Base Control Room, incl. Josh Myers, Will Sutherland of the AOS team Credit: Chris Suberlak
Summer flowers on Cerro Pachon with the Simonyi Telescope (left) and the Auxiliary Telescope  on top of the calibration hill (right) Credit: Chris Suberlak
Commissioning team watching the sunset, with Moon and Venus Credit: by Chris Suberlak
Chris Suberlak next to the M1/M3 surrogate, showing the scale of the main mirror 
Orion rising over Vera Rubin observatory Credit: Chris Suberlak

Nora Shipp receives Collaborative Innovation Award

Nora Shipp, Assistant Professor, University of Washington

Nora Shipp, UW assistant professor of astronomy, was part of one of eight interdisciplinary teams awarded the Collaborative Innovation Award in the first year of Scialog: Early Science with the LSST.

This initiative, launched by the Research Corporation for Science Advancement, is a three-year program designed to support early-career scientists as they prepare to utilize data from the upcoming Legacy Survey of Space and Time, or LSST, at the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile.

“Scialog has been a great opportunity to make connections with scientists across the field of astronomy to brainstorm new ideas for taking advantage of the unprecedented data that will soon be provided by the LLST ,” said Shipp.

Shipp’s proposal brings together researchers to study stars and dark matter — not just in the Milky Way, but also in smaller galaxies. By using the LSST to reveal the faint outer regions of these galaxies, the research will help us to better understand the universe’s creation and the limits of how galaxies form.

Scialog, which is short for “science + dialog, “is a collaborative program launched by RCSA in 2010. It’s designed to accelerate breakthroughs by fostering a network of creative scientists across disciplines and encouraging intensive discussions on scientific themes of global importance.

As part of this initiative, the conference brought together an expert group of scientists and facilitators, including Eric Bellm, research assocaite professor of astronomy and   DiRAC Institute Fellow, to guide the discussions.

By Victoria T. Tyron, University of Washington

Meet the DiRAC Team: A Look at the Scientists Shaping the Future of Astronomy

At DiRAC Institute, we are fortunate to have a talented group of astronomers whose work is expanding our understanding of the universe. From exploring the outer solar system and developing algorithms for asteroid impact prevention to advocating for cleaner skies and advancing the search for asteroids, their research is making significant contributions to the field of astronomy. We’re excited to share a glimpse into their work and the unique projects they’re leading, brought to you by the dedicated team of journalists from the UW News Lab: Amelia Kim, Dany Villarreal, Cassie Diamond, Pei Xu and Cameron Delfin.

Here are a few profiles of our researchers, showcasing their areas of expertise and contributions to the field.

Click on the links to read their stories.

Sarah Greenstreet’s Journey in Making New Discoveries with the Rubin Observatory

Joachim Moeyens: UW Researcher’s Algorithm Enables Asteroid Impact Prevention

Astronomer Ari Heinze and the Search for Asteroids

Meredith L. Rawls: Research Scientist for Vera C. Rubin Observatory Fighting for Cleaner Skies

Pedro Bernardinelli Explores the Outer Solar System at the Rubin Observatory in Search of New Discoveries

Annual Appeal 2024

Mario Juric, DiRAC Director

I’m excited to reach out to you today as we close out another year of groundbreaking scientific work.

And what a year it was! Our researchers published the first results from the DECam Ecliptic Exploration Program (or DEEP), the largest exploration program of the outer solar system to date. Our students made their mark by discovering rare stars and pinpointing mysterious X-ray sources. Our team also added to resolving the growing challenge of satellite constellations, studying their impact on Earth-based astronomy and exploring solutions to balance technological advancement with the need for clear skies.  In total, since our founding, we have co-authored over 900 papers, earning more than 16,000 citations, including developing innovative algorithms and software that are advancing the next generation of astronomical discoveries. And our excellent undergraduates are a centerpiece of UW’s new Be Boundless campaign, held up as the example of cutting-edge innovation and teaching conducted at the University of Washington.

But the major milestone this year has been the start of commissioning of the Rubin Observatory. After nearly two decades of research, development and construction, on October 23rd the test camera on the Simonyi Telescope took the first image of the sky. This was a truly momentous occasion for the entire team. DiRAC researchers have built the core parts of the system that focuses the telescope, as well as the data processing system that analyzes the data downstream: seeing it work so well was an incredibly gratifying experience! With these first data in hand, we look towards 2025 confident that by the end of it Rubin will begin the largest optical sky survey in history: the Legacy Survey of Space and Time.

That will be our focus for 2025: realizing the 20 years of investment in Rubin by producing the first ground-breaking science from this paradigm-changing telescope.

Our researchers and students will use Rubin to search for asteroids that may impact the Earth, try to locate the 9th planet in the Solar System, understand how our planets formed, map the variable stars in our Galaxy, build the deepest map of the Milky Way, understand how the Universe as a whole is expanding, and much, much, more!

Where we are now would not be possible without you — our students and postdocs have been exploring the Universe and preparing for Rubin thanks to your support. And your continued support is what will enable these first discoveries: from funding the Summer Research Prizes for our undergraduate students – allowing them to spend a summer focused solely on research – to DiRAC Postdoctoral Fellowships which allow us to bring the best and brightest talent in astrophysics to solve these hard research problems, to outreach activities letting us bring this work into Seattle-area high schools and beyond.

I invite you to continue supporting us as we enter into the next phase of exploration. Your donation will help our students, postdocs, and researchers shape the future of astronomy!

Thank you for being a vital part of our journey.

Mario Jurić

DiRAC Director

Letter From the Director

Prof. Mario Jurić, DiRAC Director

Welcome back to campus as we embark on a new academic year! I hope you all had a great summer and are ready to dive into your studies and research.

This summer was a vibrant time for the DiRAC community, marked by significant research endeavors. I’m excited to highlight some of this research: Aritra Ghosh’s groundbreaking paper, published in August, explores the fascinating relationship between galaxies in dense environments and the effects of their surroundings. Using machine learning techniques, Aritra analyzed 3 million galaxies observed by the Subaru telescope and conclusively showed that galaxies with many neighbors are larger than their more isolated counterparts — an observational result that contradicts current theoretical expectations. If you haven’t had a chance to read it yet, I highly encourage you to do so!

Additionally, I’m thrilled to welcome our new DiRAC members who have joined us this quarter: Prof. Nora Shipp, Astronomy Assistant Professor and new addition to the DiRAC Faculty; Dr. Peter Ferguson, the 2024 DiRAC Postdoctoral Fellow; Dr. Arpit Arora, a postdoc studying galactic dynamics and dark matter; and Michael Tauraso, Software Engineer with the LINCC Frameworks. They bring a diverse set of interests and skills to our team, just in time for LSST. With Nora, Arpit, and Peter joining us, I look forward to DiRAC playing a major role in near-field cosmology in the upcoming years.

As always, we’re striving to make this academic year a productive and inspiring one, filled with learning and discovery. But this year will be special: after nearly two decades of R&D and construction, the Rubin Observatory is entering its commissioning phase in early November and will begin the largest survey of the universe in mid-2025. Expect to read more about it on these pages over the next few months, as the first data starts to arrive.

Welcome to the year of discovery, and follow us as we strive to understand the universe!

Warm regards,

Mario Juric

DiRAC Director

Decoding the Universe

UW Be Boundless Campaign featured Professor Mario Jurić and his undergraduate students, showcasing how to use cutting-edge coding skills to help scientists make the most of discoveries from a revolutionary Vera C. Rubin Observatory’s telescope.

The Rubin Observatory, in northern Chile, will begin a 10-year survey of the night sky in 2025. It is an example of how to harness new technology to drive discoveries and cultivate a new generation of innovators. 

Every night, the Rubin’s Simonyi Survey Telescope will capture millions of changes in stars and other objects. This database of the night sky will require algorithms to sift through the billions of bits of information, so DiRAC scientists and engineers are already crafting the software. And that’s where the future astronomers in Jurić’s class come in.

Read the full article here.

Meet DiRAC’s Research Team: Peter Ferguson

Peter Ferguson, DiRAC Postdoctoral Fellow

At the University of Washington Peter Ferguson is a DiRAC postdoctoral fellow as well as a fellow in the eScience institute. Previously, he was a postdoc at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he was part of the observational cosmology group, and he completed his PhD at Texas A&M University.

Peter Ferguson is interested in learning about the nature of dark matter and galaxy formation using wide-field astronomical surveys such as the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) at the Vera C. Rubin Observatory.

In particular, he works on finding and characterizing stellar streams and dwarf galaxies in the local universe and enabling this science by making infrastructure level contributions to cosmological surveys. These contributions range from instrumentation and calibration to science validation and software development.

Denser Environments Cultivate Larger Galaxies

In a new paper published in The Astrophysical Journal, the team, which used a machine-learning algorithm to analyze millions of galaxies, reports that galaxies found in denser regions of the universe are as much as 25% larger than isolated galaxies. The findings resolve a long-standing debate among astrophysicists over the relationship between a galaxy’s size and its environment, but also raise new questions about how galaxies form and evolve over billions of years.

Dr. Aritra Ghosh

Dr. Aritra Ghosh, a UW postdoctoral researcher in astronomy and an LSST-DA Catalyst Fellow with the UW’s DiRAC Institute, led the team behind this discovery, which includes researchers at Yale, the Leibniz Institute and Waseda University. Dr. Andrew Connolly, a UW professor of astronomy, is co-author on the study.

Here is a link to the full story written by James Urton for the UW News.

https://www.washington.edu/news/2024/08/14/galaxy-size/

DiRAC Hosted A Stellar Evening at the Planetarium

Last Wednesday, the UW planetarium became the epicenter of excitement and discovery, hosting an event that left attendees starry-eyed and inspired. The evening was filled with captivating presentations about current and anticipated discoveries with the Vera C. Rubin Observatory which is currently in the last phase of the construction in Chile.

As guests arrived, they were greeted by the DiRAC team. The lobby buzzed with conversations about the evening’s program. The event kicked off with a warm welcome from Prof. Mario Juric, DiRAC director, who highlighted the importance of community engagement in the pursuit of scientific knowledge. Followed by the latest updates from Prof. Zeljko Ivezic, Rubin Observatory Construction Project Director. Prof. Ivezic took to the stage to introduce this cutting-edge observatory, which promises to revolutionize our understanding of the universe. Equipped with the latest in telescope technology, this observatory will allow scientists to look deeper into space than ever before.

The Planetarium Experience

The highlight of the night was the planetarium experience led by Prof. Andy Connolly. The presentation detailed how the observatory’s advanced camera would enable the discovery, the study of distant galaxies, and the exploration of cosmic phenomena that have long puzzled astronomers. The audience was treated to stunning visuals of the observatory’s capabilities, and the excitement in the room was wonderful to experience.

Engaging Presentations

Following the planetarium show, a series of presentations captivated the audience. Each talk was a quick dive into one segment that Rubin will help us understand. Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) were the topic of this session. It was designed to educate and inspire. The audience was left in awe, with many expressing a newfound appreciation for the unknown of our universe.

Interactive Q&A Sessions

The event also featured interactive Q&A sessions, where attendees had the opportunity to ask questions and engage with the experts. These sessions sparked lively discussions and provided deeper insights into the topics covered. It was clear that the audience was eager to learn, with questions ranging from the technical aspects of the new observatory to the implications of recent discoveries.

Looking to the Future

We’d like to take this opportunity to thank again everyone for their participation and to emphasize the importance of public support for scientific endeavors and encouraged everyone to stay curious and engaged.

The planetarium event was more than just a series of presentations; it was a celebration of human curiosity and the relentless pursuit of knowledge. As guests departed, they carried with them not only a deeper understanding of the universe but also a sense of wonder and inspiration. The night was a testament to the power of education and the limitless possibilities that lie ahead as we continue to explore the cosmos.

Photo Credit: Bruno C. Quint