On March 9th, a group of astronomers from the University of Washington’s DiRAC Institute met in downtown Seattle to share their knowledge and excitement for the future of discovery at Emerald City Comic Con (ECCC). For the last two years, James Davenport (Astronomy professor and DiRAC Director) has convened these “Interstellar Insights” discussion panels of astronomers at ECCC. These outreach events help scientists connect directly with enthusiastic members of the public, reaching folks of all ages!

This year our panel focused on the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, a remarkable facility that will go online in a few months, and that members of UW Astronomy and DiRAC have been helping build for the last 2 decades. Rubin will “bring the night sky to life” with a powerful 10-year survey of the sky, tracking everything from asteroids in our solar system to supernova at the edge of the cosmos. Our panel shared the challenge and opportunity for bringing this amazing machine online and making discoveries across the cosmos in real time.

These expert panels draw crowds of over 100 people, and we receive thoughtful questions from adults and children alike. One fun item we shared this year was a new full-scale build of the Rubin Observatory in Minecraft, allowing anyone to take a virtual tour of this amazing event from the comfort of their living room! (You can download this build and tour it yourself!)

We hope to continue these events around Seattle and the Pacific Northwest for many years, sharing the wonder of the Universe with everyone, as Rubin Observatory goes online and beyond!