Rubin Observatory in Chile Begins Decade-Long LSST Sky Survey

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile has officially started the ten‑year Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST), the most ambitious astronomical imaging program to date. Using the world’s largest digital camera—a 3,200‑megapixel sensor—the facility will capture a detailed image of the southern sky every ~40 seconds, generating about ten terabytes of data each night. Over the decade, the survey will produce a map containing billions of celestial objects and trillions of measurements, enabling real‑time alerts for supernovae, variable stars, asteroids and other transient phenomena.

The project is funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy, with contributions from Serbia’s University of Belgrade astronomy department and observatory, as well as Slovenia’s University of Nova Gorica. Prof. Dr. Andreja Gomboc of the University of Nova Gorica noted, “We have been waiting impatiently for this news,” highlighting the collaborative effort involving researchers from 27 countries. Early observations have already identified more than 11,000 previously unknown asteroids, some of which pass near Earth. The resulting database will become a cornerstone for astrophysical research for decades to come.