A new paper that includes co-authors from the DiRAC Institute, “PhotoD with LSST: Stellar Photometric Distances Out to the Edge of the Galaxy”, will aid in analysis of the Rubin Observatory’s Legacy Survey of Space and time (LSST) dataset. Distances to stars are a crucial part of understanding the formation and evolution of the Milky […]
Read More »News
Space Industry Adds Threats to Astronomy, Light Pollution Remains a Big Problem
January 29, 2025 | Sky & Telescope | David L. Chandler
Multiple effects from ever-increasing satellite launches could impact future observations; the biggest threat to astronomy, though, is still coming from the ground.
Read More »Why a new telescope may help the search for alien life in space
January 22, 2025 | NPR Short Wave
DiRAC’s James Davenport describes new efforts to use the upcoming Rubin Observatory to help SETI.
Read More »
Testing, Testing! NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory Completes Comprehensive System Tests With Flying Colors
January 17, 2025 | Vera C. Rubin Observatory
NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory has just successfully completed a series of full-system tests using an engineering test camera.
Read More »
We May Be on the Brink of Finding the Real Planet Nine
December 18, 2024 | SciAm | Robin George Andrews
If there’s a hidden world in the solar system, a new telescope should find it
Read More »
More than 10,000 supernovae counted in stellar census
December 6, 2024 | UW News | James Urton
On Dec. 4, ZTF researchers — including astronomers at the University of Washington — announced that that they have identified more than 10,000 of these stellar events, the largest number ever identified by an astronomical survey.
Read More »DiRAC Annual Appeal
December 3, 2024 | DiRAC
I’m excited to reach out to you today as we close out another year of groundbreaking scientific work. Our focus for 2025: realizing the 20 years of investment in Rubin by producing the first ground-breaking science from this paradigm-changing telescope.
Read More »
Open Position, Apply Before December 31, 2024
November 25, 2024 | DiRAC News
2025 Joint DiRAC Fellowship and Baum Postdoctoral Fellow for Innovative Astronomy is open now and it is due December 31, 2024. DiRAC is creating an environment where scientists can harness interdisciplinary expertise to solve some of the most difficult questions facing Astronomy today.
Read More »Telescope with world’s largest digital camera will be a ‘game-changer’ for astronomy
October 28, 2024 | CNN | Jacopo Prisco
On a mountaintop in northern Chile, the world’s largest digital camera is preparing to power up. Its mission is simple yet ambitious — to photograph the entire night sky in extreme detail and unlock some of the universe’s deepest secrets.
Read More »
‘We have a telescope!’ Rubin Observatory construction team installs its huge mirror
October 11, 2024 | GeekWire | Alan Boyle
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory’s 8.4-meter Simonyi Survey Telescope in Chile has now been equipped with all three of its mirrors, plus a camera for good measure.
Read More »