The Rubin Observatory begins its exploration of the sky with the support of the IAC and Grantecan

Vera C. Rubin Observatory's first light images of the Trifid and Lagoon nebulas. This image combines 678 separate images taken by NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory in just over seven hours of observing time
Vera C. Rubin Observatory's first light images of the Trifid and Lagoon nebulas. This image combines 678 separate images taken by NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory in just over seven hours of observing time. Credit: NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory
Advertised on

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory, located in Chile, today released its first images of the universe, known in astronomy as an instrument's “first light”. This event marks the beginning of a project that will revolutionise our understanding of the universe over the next decade. Jointly funded by the US National Science Foundation (NSF) and the US Department of Energy (DOE), the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) is participating, as part of a consortium of Spanish institutions, in its scientific exploitation and contributing observation time from the Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC or Grantecan).

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory, named in honour of astronomer Vera Rubin, a pioneer whose work provided the first strong evidence of the existence of dark matter, represents a milestone in astronomical observation, setting a new standard for sky mapping thanks to its advanced optical design, high sensitivity, operational speed, and robust computing infrastructure. Equipped with the largest digital camera ever built for astronomy, it will systematically observe the southern sky for a decade, generating an ultra-wide, high-definition time-lapse of the universe.

This project, known as the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST), will address some of the most fundamental questions in cosmology and astrophysics. Among its main objectives are the study of dark energy and dark matter, a detailed analysis of the structure and formation of the Milky Way, and the precise tracking of millions of objects in the Solar System, including potentially dangerous asteroids. In addition, its ability to record transient events will offer a dynamic view of the evolving universe.

This image shows another small section of NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory's total view of the Virgo cluster. Visible are two prominent spiral galaxies (lower right), three merging galaxies (upper right), several groups of distant galaxies, many stars in the Milky Way galaxy and more. Credit: NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory
This image shows another small section of NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory's total view of the Virgo cluster. Visible are two prominent spiral galaxies (lower right), three merging galaxies (upper right), several groups of distant galaxies, many stars in the Milky Way galaxy and more. Credit: NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory

An international project with Spanish participation

Thousands of people from more than 30 countries have worked in the Vera C. Rubin Observatory. The Spanish participation is articulated through a consortium composed of Institute of Space Sciences (ICE-CSIC), the Institut d’Estudis Espacials de Catalunya (IEEC), the Institut de Física d’Altes Energies (IFAE), the Port d’Informació Científica (PIC), the Instituto de Física Teórica (IFT-UAM/CSIC), the Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (CIEMAT) and the  Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) with a key role in the scientific and technical development of the project.

"The IAC has participated in defining agreements to contribute GTC observation time to scientific programmes related to LSST," explains Johan Knapen, a researcher at the IAC. "Likewise, different research groups at the IAC are actively participating in preparing for the scientific exploitation of LSST in various lines of research," adds Ismael Pérez Fournon, a researcher at the IAC.

The various fields of study in which the IAC is involved include deep imaging of galaxies and dwarf galaxies, the analysis of intracluster light, the structure of the Milky Way and the Local Group, stellar magnetic activity, energetic phenomena in galaxies, the detection of gravitational waves, the study of galaxy clusters and cosmology, substellar science, the characterisation of small bodies in the solar system, the tracking of transient objects, and galactic evolution.

This image shows a small section of NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory's total view of the Virgo cluster. Bright stars in the Milky Way galaxy shine in the foreground, and many distant galaxies are in the background.
This image shows a small section of NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory's total view of the Virgo cluster. Bright stars in the Milky Way galaxy shine in the foreground, and many distant galaxies are in the background. Credit: NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory

Among the other scientific institutions participating in the Rubin Observatory consortium, it is worth highlighting the contributions of ICE-CSIC and IEEC, whose research staff have played a key role in the scientific and technical development of the project. These teams will also lead spectroscopic observations with the GTC to track transient objects detected by the LSST survey.

The IFT-UAM/CSIC has worked on improving data quality using advanced techniques, including artificial intelligence tools, and on studying the effects of the atmosphere on observations. It also actively participates in the Dark Energy Science Collaboration (DESC), along with other members of the Spanish consortium, who lead the Computation and Simulations area of the project.

CIEMAT has collaborated in the scientific fine-tuning of the telescope, analysing the performance of the optical and structural system, and its cosmology group is participating in the study of transient phenomena. Together with IFAE, a PIC team is operating, implementing an Independent Data Access Centre (IDAC), which is essential for analysing the enormous volume of information generated by the telescope.

A view of NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory beneath the Milky Way galaxy.
A view of NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory beneath the Milky Way galaxy. Credit: NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory

Live broadcast from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory
NFS press release
ICE-CSIC press release

Contact at the IAC:
Ismael Pérez Fournon, ipf [at] iac.es (ipf[at]iac[dot]es)

Related news
Magnetar surrounded by the nebula responsible for the radio emission associated with some FRBs
Press release
Grantecan helps solve the mystery behind some of the Universe's most powerful radio bursts
A new international study, using observations from the Gran Telescopio Canarias at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory on La Palma, has identified a plasma bubble as the source of the persistent emission observed in some of the so-called fast radio bursts (FRBs), one of the most powerful and unknown cosmic events in the Universe. The data also allow researchers to constrain the nature of the “engine” powering these mysterious sources. The results are published today in Nature. Discovered just over a decade ago, fast radio bursts (FRBs) emit millisecond-long pulses that release an immense
Advertised on
Galaxia de canto UGC11859 y GTC-1
Press release
Grantecan solves an old puzzle about the brightness of galaxy discs
An international scientific team, including the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), has detected distortions in the brightness of a galaxy's disc that could be explained by the gravitational effect of an unknown neighbouring galaxy. Named GTC-1, the satellite galaxy was discovered using ultra-deep images obtained with the OSIRIS camera of the Gran Telescopio Canarias, located at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory in La Palma. The finding provides a possible explanation for a puzzle about way the light fades out at the edges of galaxy disks, a mystery that has bothered the
Advertised on
Image of the galaxy cluster Abell 370, one of the regions of the sky observed in the SHARDS Frontier Fields project. This is the deepest image ever taken to detect galaxies with emission lines, which are actively forming stars. The centre of the cluster is in the upper right of the image. In the same area, you can see gravitationally amplified galaxies, some of them showing highly deformed and lengthened morphologies, known as arcs. Credit: GRANTECAN
Press release
Images from the Hubble Space Telescope and GRANTECAN help to show how the first galaxies were formed
One of the most interesting questions for astrophysicists for the past few decades is how and when did the first galaxies form. One of the possible answers to “how” is that star formation in the first galaxies took place at a steady rate, building up a system with increasing mass. Another possibility is that the formation was more violent and discontinuous, with intense bursts of star formation, on short timescales, triggered by events such as galaxy mergers and strong concentrations of gas.
Advertised on
News type
Press release
Scope
Science and Technology
Astrophysics
Observing tools
Technology
Telescopes
Observatorio Vera C. Rubin

It may interest you

  • Artificial intelligence at the service of astrophysics
    Press release
    Machine learning reveals the merging history of nearby galaxies
    Research led by the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) has used an innovative technique based on artificial intelligence to study how stars form in galaxies. By analysing 10 000 nearby galaxies, the team have discovered that most stars are born within their own galaxy. Galactic mergers, while important, are not the main source of new stars. Furthermore, the study reveals that more massive galaxies are more affected by these mergers. These results, published in Nature Astronomy, provide new clues about the complex history of galaxies and their evolution over time. Most galaxies do not
    Advertised on
  • First images captured by the Canary satellite ALISIO-1
    Press release
    The IAC presents DRAGO-3, its new infrared camera for satellite constellations
    The Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) has started its development of DRAGO-3 , the third generation of its instrument: Demonstrator for Remote Analysis of Ground Observations (DRAGO), designed for Earth observation from space in the short wave infrared region of the spectrum (SWIR). This new instrument comes after the success of DRAGO-1 and DRAGO-2 , which have proved their utility in key applications such as following volcanic eruptions, hydrological monitoring of regions affected by climate change, and the control of forest fires. Both the previous models have shown their
    Advertised on
  • Installation of the LST-4 camera at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory.
    Press release
    The Roque de los Muchachos Observatory takes a further step into the future with the installation of the LST-4 camera
    The Roque de los Muchachos Observatory (ORM) of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), located on La Palma, has reached another important milestone with the installation of the camera of the LST-4, one of the four Large-Sized Telescopes (LST), which will be part of the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO), currently under construction. The installation of the camera represents the completion of the telescope assembly and marks its transition to the commissioning phase. After a thorough performance evaluation at the IACTEC building, the IAC's technological and business
    Advertised on
Go back