Just two years from now, the Vera C. Rubin Observatory will commence operations, beginning its mission to image nearly 40 billion celestial objects over 10 years! These observations will be made with the world’s largest digital camera and an enormous 8.4 meter (in diameter) telescope, ensuring that its images will be of the highest quality. This 10-year mission of the Rubin Observatory, called the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST), will make repeated observations of celestial objects over its duration and the resulting data will comprise an immense dataset hitherto unheard of in the astronomy. This project is the result of decades of innovative scientific thinking that strives to replace the existing model of astronomical observation that emphasized singularly focused observatories that gathered data in hopes of testing existing hypothesis. This new style of thinking, of which LSST is one of the first manifestations, prioritizes grand scope and quantity of observations, and seeks to provide as many scientists with as much data as possible. Once the LSST dataset is up and running, any scientist in the world will be able to access tens of billions of astronomical data-points that can be used to better understand the universe and our place in it. This dataset will allow researches to test (and potentially modify) existing theories, as well as generate (and test) new hypothesis that have never been considered. Are you interested in uncovering the truth of dark matter and dark energy? Curious about why our universe is expanding at an accelerating rate? Interested in better understanding the contents of our own solar system and galaxy? The Vera Rubin Observatory and LSST is our best bet at uncovering those answers. In the meantime, if you desire to be the one that discovers dark matter or finds a new element, go work on your coding (specifically large data analysis) skills… 2024 is just a few years away!
Alex's Astronomy Blog 
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