In an era of unprecedented discoveries and technological advancements, the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, perched atop the towering Cerro Pachón—a 2,682-meter-high mountain in northern Chile—is set to usher in a new chapter in cosmic exploration. Expected to uncover around 17 billion stars and 20 billion new galaxies, this groundbreaking telescope is equipped with the world’s largest digital camera, boasting an astounding 3,200 megapixels of resolution—equivalent to the combined pixel capacity of approximately 300 smartphones.

The mission of the Vera Rubin Observatory is simple yet ambitious: to capture detailed images of the entire night sky, enabling scientists to unravel some of the universe’s deepest mysteries. Each photograph will cover an area of the sky equivalent to 40 full moons. This incredible resolution will allow for unprecedented observation of astronomical phenomena, enabling the detection of moving objects, changes in brightness, and new stars and galaxies that traditional telescopes cannot reach.

The telescope will operate on a regular cycle, capturing images of the visible sky every three nights, resulting in thousands of photographs over its operational lifetime. This systematic approach will allow astronomers to monitor changes in space and address questions they have yet to even imagine. Clare Higgs, the observatory’s public outreach specialist, states, “We’re exploring the sky in a way we’ve never done before, and this gives us the ability to answer questions we haven’t even thought to ask.”

The Vera Rubin Observatory project began to take shape in the early 2000s, initially funded by private donations from billionaires such as Charles Simonyi and Bill Gates. As the project progressed, it gained additional support from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science and the National Science Foundation, which now jointly manage the observatory alongside the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory operated by Stanford University in California.

The choice of Chile as the site for the observatory was no coincidence. The region’s favorable atmospheric conditions—including high altitude, minimal light pollution, and a dry climate—are ideal for astronomical observations. Higgs explains, “For optical telescopes, you need a location that’s high, dark, and dry. The quality of the night sky in Chile is exceptional, which explains the presence of so many telescopes in the region.”

Currently in its final stages of construction, the telescope is expected to become operational in 2025. Higgs mentions, “We’re assembling all the components, and they’re now at the mountaintop—a significant milestone we reached this summer.” Following months of testing, the observatory’s first observations are anticipated by late 2025, though the timeline may be subject to change.

The core mission of Vera Rubin is the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST). This decade-long project will aim to map the southern hemisphere’s sky every night, with repetitions every three nights. With the ability to take a photo every 30 seconds, the camera will generate about 20 terabytes of data daily—equivalent to what one person would consume by watching Netflix for three years or listening to Spotify for 50 years. In total, the survey is expected to produce over 60 million gigabytes of raw data.

To make this data useful, each image will be quickly transferred from Chile to California, where artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms will analyze the images. The AI will search for changes, moving objects, and other phenomena, issuing alerts if anything significant is identified. Higgs notes, “We’re anticipating around 10 million alerts per night from the telescope,” encompassing a wide range of events, from solar system objects like asteroids to distant supernovae.

Initially, the data will be available to a select group of astronomers each year. After a two-year period, the entire dataset will become publicly accessible, allowing the global scientific community to explore and analyze the information. This promises to democratize access to astronomical knowledge, fostering collaborations and research innovations.

The data collected by Vera Rubin will focus on four primary research areas:

1. Inventory of the Solar System: The observatory will seek to discover new celestial bodies, including the search for the hypothetical Planet Nine, believed by many to lie beyond Neptune.
2. Mapping the Milky Way: The telescope will enable detailed analysis of our galaxy, contributing to a better understanding of its structure and dynamics.
3. Study of Transients: Vera Rubin will investigate astronomical objects that change position or brightness over time, providing insights into phenomena like supernova explosions and quasar variability.
4. Understanding Dark Matter: The telescope will help elucidate the nature of dark matter, one of modern cosmology’s greatest enigmas, which comprises most of the universe but remains invisible and undetectable.

Higgs remarks, “There are probably ten different fields of science where Rubin will make significant contributions. The sheer volume of data generated will enable progress in many areas that are currently only speculative.” She highlights that in just a few months, the observatory could observe more Type Ia supernovae than have ever been recorded—a statistically significant quantity for future studies.

The astronomical community is brimming with anticipation over the Vera Rubin Observatory’s potential. MIT professor David Kaiser emphasizes that the telescope will significantly impact the understanding of two of the universe’s greatest mysteries: dark matter and dark energy. “Vera Rubin will allow astronomers to map the distribution of dark matter like never before, based on how it bends the path of starlight—a process known as gravitational lensing,” Kaiser explains.

He adds that while dark matter appears ubiquitous, its distribution and clustering remain challenging to quantify. Collecting data on this distribution could provide crucial insights for astrophysicists and help clarify fundamental properties of dark matter.

Another major mystery the telescope might help solve is the search for Planet Nine. Konstantin Batygin, a planetary science professor at the California Institute of Technology, believes that Vera Rubin not only offers a real chance of directly detecting Planet Nine but also enables detailed mapping of the dynamic architecture of the outer solar system, which could test hypotheses about this elusive planet’s existence.

Kate Pattle, from University College London, observes that Vera Rubin will revolutionize how we observe the universe. The telescope will map space on scales ranging from the local—tracking near-Earth asteroids—to the global, mapping the distribution of dark matter across the galaxy and beyond. “Rubin will revisit the same parts of the sky repeatedly, opening new frontiers in the study of astronomical transients. It will identify variable stars, track supernova remnants, and monitor high-energy gamma-ray bursts,” Pattle explains. This process will provide unprecedented insights into the evolution of stars and galaxies.

Priyamvada Natarajan, professor of astronomy and physics at Yale University, underscores that the Vera Rubin Observatory is poised to break records on multiple fronts. “The survey will provide data for myriad scientific projects addressing fundamental questions, from exploring our solar system to the most distant galaxies, including a trove of supernovae, gamma-ray bursts, and other transients,” says Natarajan.

She believes the most exciting discovery would undoubtedly be the true nature of dark matter. “This would certainly delight Vera Rubin, whose pioneering research in the 1970s was instrumental in detecting dark matter in spiral galaxies. The quest to understand this phenomenon continues her legacy,” Natarajan concludes.

With its innovative technology and commitment to collaborative research, the Vera Rubin Observatory promises to transform not only astronomy but also our understanding of the universe. As its activation nears, expectations surrounding the telescope grow, along with the hope that groundbreaking scientific revolutions are on the horizon, revealing a universe more vast, complex, and fascinating than ever imagined.