Stony Brook University faculty and students from the Department of Physics and Astronomy are set to measure the universe using the newly constructed Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile. This observatory, a collaboration between the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Department of Energy (DOE), is located on Cerro Pachón in the Andes Mountains.
The Rubin Observatory recently unveiled its first ultra-high-definition images and videos during a “First Look Event” in Washington D.C., which was simultaneously celebrated by Stony Brook researchers with a watch party. The observatory will utilize the largest camera ever built to scan the sky over ten years, creating an extensive time-lapse record known as the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST). The survey aims to explore various aspects of cosmology, including dark matter and dark energy.
Chang Kee Jung, chair of Stony Brook’s Department of Physics and Astronomy, emphasized that “the known part of our Universe comprises only ~5%,” while dark energy and dark matter remain largely unknown. He expressed excitement about how data from Rubin could advance understanding in these areas.
Anja von der Linden, an associate professor at Stony Brook who has been involved with DESC since 2012, highlighted that Rubin can image the entire southern night sky every three nights for ten years. This process will generate vast amounts of data for astronomers to analyze.
Other faculty members involved include Simon Birrer, co-chair of the Strong Lensing Science Collaboration; Vivian Miranda, active in searching for signatures of dark energy; and Neelima Sehgal, who combines findings with cosmic microwave background experiments.
The project also involves early career researchers such as post-doctoral scholar Narayan Khadka and several graduate students preparing for cosmology analyses with LSST data. Former Stony Brook graduates like Dr. Shuang Liang are contributing significantly as well.
