Announcements 2020

18 August 2020: Project & Science News Rubin Observatory's very first virtual Project and Community Workshop (PCW) took place August 10-14, 2020, and it was a resounding success. The all-online format allowed more people to participate in this year’s workshop than ever before; a total of 706 people registered for meeting, which featured plenaries, breakout sessions, and even a social activity with virtual board games. Rubin colleagues in Chile also presented daily in Spanish for all interested participants; topics included specific parts of the project where hands-on work is performed by teams in Chile. Read more about the week’s activities in this news post. A mandatory quarantine was declared in the La Serena/Coquimbo region starting July 29th. An end date was not announced, but the order will be reviewed weekly. The quarantine affects Rubin activities on the summit; although Rubin staff still has permission to perform equipment and facility inspections, we are limited …

12 August 2020: In collaboration with its US-ELTP partners, NSF’s NOIRLab has successfully submitted a Planning and Design Proposal to the NSF, see joint statement below. The US Extremely Large Telescope Program (US-ELTP) is a joint endeavor of NOIRLab and the organizations building the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) and the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT). Its mission is to strengthen scientific leadership by the US community-at-large through access to extremely large telescopes in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres with coverage of 100 percent of the night sky. The two-hemisphere system would provide the US science community with greater and more diverse research opportunities than could be achieved with a single telescope. Joint statement from NSF’s NOIRLab, Giant Magellan Telescope Corporation and Thirty Meter Telescope International Observatory: At the end of May 2020, the partners of the US Extremely Large Telescope Program (US-ELTP) jointly submitted three Planning and Design proposals to the National Science Foundation …

28 July 2020: Project & Science News The Rubin 2020 Project and Community Workshop (PCW) is right around the corner, (August 10-14), and there are currently 350 people registered—a new record! If you haven’t registered yet please do so as soon as possible on the meeting website. Rubin Observatory Project staff participated in a Joint Directors Review during the week of July 20-24, in preparation for the Joint Status Review scheduled for August 31-September 3rd. The review committee complimented the progress made by the Project up to the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and commented favorably on the Project’s modifications and plans to address issues related to the COVID delay. A group photo from the review is available in the Gallery. The Rubin Observatory/LSST Science Collaborations will host a two-day hackathon on Aug 6-7, immediately before the Rubin 2020 PCW (Aug 10-14). The goal of the hackathon will be to kickstart work on …

14 July 2020: Project & Science News The schedule for this year’s Rubin Observatory Project and Community Workshop (Rubin 2020), to be held virtually August 10-14, is now available at this link. This year we’ll have “Rubin flash talks” in place of posters. If you’re interested in giving one of these then please make sure you register by July 24th. Vera Rubin’s birthday is July 23rd, and the Rubin Observatory Communications team is planning a social media celebration in her honor! Keep an eye on Rubin social media accounts, especially twitter (#BirthdayVeraRubin), for fun facts, trivia questions, and even some music. Links to Rubin social media accounts can be found on the Rubin Observatory website (in the bottom right corner). The Satellite Constellations 1 (SATCON1) workshop, facilitated by NOIRLab and AAS with support from NSF, took place virtually June 29-July 2. Four members of the Rubin Observatory Project gave presentations at the workshop: …

30 June 2020: Project & Science News Registration is now open for this year’s Project and Community Workshop (Rubin 2020), to be held virtually on August 10-14. More than 200 people have already registered for the event, and the agenda is close to being finalized. Visit this link for the most up-to-date information about the workshop. On Wednesday, June 10th, a day designated to Strike for Black Lives, many Rubin Observatory Project & Operations members paused their normal work activities and participated in deep discussions about Black representation and equality in our community. These discussions have continued with the goal of creating and implementing a meaningful action plan. A Town Hall (date TBA) is currently being planned; this event will provide a safe space for all to connect with one another to discuss ways that Rubin Observatory can be better at including and advocating for Black people. More information about the Town Hall …

23 June 2020: The inaugural edition of The NOIRLab Mirror is now available. Our new, twice-yearly newsletter with information focusing on NOIRLab’s user communities showcases the science, technology, and program developments across the five NOIRLab Programs: Community Science and Data Center (CSDC), Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), Gemini Observatory, Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), and Vera C. Rubin Observatory Operations. The inaugural issue also features the perspectives of five distinguished scientists on the roles of a national observatory. “The choice of ‘The Mirror’ for the name of this newsletter series is more than a reflection of the central role of optics in our field,” writes NOIRLab Director Pat McCarthy in the first issue. “A mirror allows us to see ourselves as others do. As we launch NOIRLab and this newsletter series, it is important that we be aware of how you see us in the present, how you understand the aspirations of our …

11 June 2020: Following is an update on the impact of the COVID-19 virus on NSF’s NOIRLab. Since the night of Tuesday, 19 May 2020, the Gemini North telescope has been conducting observations from Maunakea. Operations continue at the Gemini North Base facility with minimal daytime and nighttime staffing. NOIRLab is developing site-specific plans to restart mountain- and base-operations across all other NOIRLab locations. Our sites in Chile and Arizona remain closed. In these unprecedented circumstances, our first priority remains the health and safety of our staff, visitors and other users of the mountains. The timing of the restarts will differ for each location and will reflect national and regional regulations, including those of the Tohono O’odham Nation at Kitt Peak, and our procedures will comply with local safety guidelines. Even as many US states and countries worldwide begin to reopen, conditions in Arizona and Chile do not meet any of the metrics …

9 June 2020: Project & Science News The Rubin Observatory Project leadership team released a statement on June 3rd in response to the ongoing protests against racial injustice. Rubin Observatory condemns discrimination and racism, and is committed to supporting diversity. Read the full statement on our website. On May 14th, the IT group in La Serena, Chile, enabled the utilization of internal routed traffic in Rubin Observatory's Long Haul Network. This means that a group of clusters, along with Commissioning Camera forwarders deployed at the base, will use this dedicated link to transfer data when the destination is the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA). This work marks an important milestone towards the completion of the Network baseline of Rubin Observatory. Photos are available in the Gallery. A regular inspection of the Cerro Pachón construction site took place on May 26th. This visit included more work on the Dome and a detailed inspection …

9 June 2020: #ShutDownSTEM, Wednesday 10 June 2020, is a day of international protest of systemic racism in research and academia. STEM and research professionals are asked to stop their normal activities of research, teaching and meetings for one day, in the wake of the killing of George Floyd and others. The organizers call for a halt to “business as usual” to accommodate conversations, learning and reflection on systemic racism in research and academia and to create a plan of action for the future. Details about the #ShutDownSTEM movement can be found on their website. We at NOIRLab acknowledge historical inequality, including the underrepresentation of African Americans in astronomy and we do not condone any form of racial discrimination. We have encouraged all staff to consider participating in learning and discussion about diversity, equity, and inclusion on 10 June. Staff may desire to be actively engaged, or to use the day for personal …

1 June 2020: The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) on the Nicholas U. Mayall telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), a Program of NSF’s NOIRLab, has passed a major milestone en route to mapping tens of millions of galaxies in its quest to understand the nature of dark energy and its role in the expansion history of the Universe. DESI was designed and built by an international collaboration of about 500 researchers at 75 institutions in 13 nations. DESI can observe up to 5000 galaxies at a time, using optical fibers that feed the light from each galaxy into an array of spectrographs. There the light is spread into individual rainbows which will enable the team to create a three-dimensional map of the Universe. When it became clear in March that KPNO would be closed owing to COVID-19, the team moved quickly to obtain preliminary data, which enabled them to reach its …

1 June 2020: A project started ten years ago by NSF’s NOIRLab Director Patrick McCarthy, then an astronomer at the Carnegie Institution for Science, and fellow Carnegie scientist Daniel Kelson, has come to fruition this month with the results of theCarnegie-Spitzer-IMACS (CSI) Redshift Survey being published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. The Universe is filled with galaxies like the one we live in, the Milky Way. Spread out across the sky, their distribution is not random — galaxies are instead laid out in patterns, groupings, and correlations known as large-scale structure. The goal of the CSI Redshift Survey was to understand how this structure affects the growth and evolution of galaxies. To study this, the team needed to collect many data points, including distances, luminosities, colors and — most importantly — mass, for half a million galaxies. Back in 2003, before embarking on this survey, McCarthy was involved in …

19 May 2020: Project & Science News Planning is underway for virtual Rubin Observatory Project and Community activities that will take place the week of August 10-14, 2020 (in place of the in-person Workshop). Please keep these dates reserved on your calendar, and watch for more information coming soon. Rubin Observatory has released an updated report on the evolving satellite constellation issue, detailing the work being done jointly by Rubin Observatory and SpaceX exploring different mitigation strategies. The updated report is available at this link. An article on the subject also appeared in the New York Times on May 6th. Limited work activities resumed on the LSST Camera at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory during the week of May 11th, with one person permitted in the Camera workspace to start preparing for the restart of the refrigeration system. In France, the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown has been lifted and IN2P3 is expected to conduct a …

18 May 2020: After an internal Operations Restart Readiness Review on Friday, 15 May, the northern telescope of the international Gemini Observatory, Gemini North in Hawai‘i, has been given the green light on their plan to restart nighttime observations on the night of Tuesday, 19 May, with a minimal on-site crew. The restart is possible because the governor of Hawai‘i has given permission for observatories to open, and because Hawai‘i has a very low number of active COVID-19 cases. At Friday’s review, a committee determined that appropriate safety protocols are in place and operating, all local and national regulations are met, sufficient supplies of personal protective equipment are on hand with a reasonable expectation of a functioning supply chain, and other operational protocols are in place. Most of NOIRLab’s staff at our three sites, Tucson, Arizona, Hilo, Hawai‘i, and La Serena in Chile, will continue to telework at least throughout the month of …

5 May 2020: Project & Science News Closures are still in effect for key Rubin Observatory locations, including the summit construction site. However, in compliance with local regulations, the Rubin team has been able to keep up with some essential activities to ensure our sites are secure. These activities are being completed with safety of staff members as the first priority. In parallel, the Project leadership team is working on plans to restart construction activities safely and in a phased way once it is deemed safe to do so. The plans will focus on priority technical areas but will also comply with government orders as well as health and safety department guidelines. All efforts will be coordinated with AURA and SLAC for an organized and safe return to construction. Updated information on details related to the COVID-19 pandemic and answers to Frequently Asked Questions can be found at this link. An NSF/DOE Quarterly …

21 April 2020: Project & Science News Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s Rubin Observatory Project & Community Workshop, (PCW) planned for August 10-14, has been cancelled. At the workshop we planned to celebrate both our new name and the 10th anniversary of the 2010 Decadal Survey ranking LSST number one as the highest priority in ground-based astronomy. We will now postpone this celebration to 2021. The Project and Operations teams are also looking at alternative opportunities to engage with the community this year (the week of August 10-14), and further updates will be coming soon. Also because of COVID-19 disruptions, the due date for community broker proposals will be extended for at least six months, with a due date no earlier than December 15th, 2020. The Rubin Observatory Science Advisory Committee (SAC) will provide further updates on the status of the Call on or before June 15th. By that time the …

15 April 2020: Joan Najita from NSF’s NOIRLab, headquartered in Tucson, has been awarded a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship in astronomy & astrophysics for 2020. Guggenheim Fellows are appointed on the basis of past achievement and exceptional promise for future accomplishments. Since 1925 the Guggenheim Memorial Foundation has awarded annual Fellowships in the arts and sciences: this year they awarded 173 Fellowships, but only two in astronomy and astrophysics. From the Guggenheim webpage: “Joan has a broad range of research interests, including planets beyond the Solar System, low mass stars and brown dwarfs, the structure and origin of our galaxy, the Milky Way, massively multiplexed wide-field spectroscopy, the nature of discovery in astronomy and its science sociology and resource allocation practices. She is actively engaged in communicating science to the public and has a lifelong interest in the power of science to inspire and in the role of science in society.” We congratulate …

7 April 2020: Project & Science News The COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact Rubin Observatory construction. The summit shutdown is still in effect and has halted all activity there including work on the Telescope Mount Assembly (TMA), and the Dome. SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory is also still closed, preventing work on the Camera. When safe conditions permit the facilities to re-open, Project leadership will work with the team to transition back to full construction, as well as with our funding agencies, the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the US Department of Energy (DOE), to re-baseline the Project. Answers to frequently asked questions about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Rubin Observatory have been posted on the website. Project members should log in to view additional questions and answers that pertain to staff. Please note: Daylight Saving Time in Chile ended on Saturday April 4th, and clocks there moved back an hour. If …

24 March 2020: Project & Science News The COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact Project activities. As a preventative measure, construction activities on Cerro Pachón have been shut down, and the site secured as safely as possible given the incomplete condition of the facility. Staff are now teleworking, and will focus on advancing any elements of the Project possible. The Base Facility in La Serena and the Project headquarters in Tucson, AZ, are also closed with staff teleworking. Updates on the evolving situation are available here. SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory has closed completely, with all staff teleworking, for an initial period of three weeks. Work on the LSST Camera is suspended while the facility is closed; updates on the closure will be posted on the SLAC website. Rubin Observatory Chief Scientist Tony Tyson briefed the United States Congress on March 11, 2020, on the impact of satellite constellations on astronomy. His presentation, which is …

10 March 2020: Project & Science News Double-check your clocks and your calendars—Daylight Saving Time returned to most of the US on Sunday, March 8th. Rubin Observatory uses Pacific Time as official project time, which means that many standing meeting times will change for staff in Tucson and Chile. Please check with meeting coordinators to confirm start times, especially for meetings involving staff at multiple locations. An updated review on the impact of constellation satellites on Rubin Observatory science, including possible mitigation strategies, has been prepared by Chief Scientist Tony Tyson and Deputy Director Zeljko Ivezic, with the input of the Project Science Team and the Rubin Observatory/LSST Science Collaborations. The review is now available at this link. The Rubin Observatory Algorithms Workshop, originally scheduled for March 17-19 in Princeton, NJ, has been modified to be an all-virtual event. This decision was made in light of travel uncertainties and risks related to the …

26 February 2020: Project & Science News The Rubin Observatory Project Office has released a new name usage guide with information on how to refer to Rubin Observatory in a variety of circumstances. The guide can be found at https://ls.st/name. Please note that in order to appropriately acknowledge Vera Rubin (and not hide her behind an acronym), we are asking people not to use the acronym VRO. Commissioning for the Rubin Observatory Auxiliary Telescope (AuxTel) and the LSST Atmospheric Transmission Imager and Slitless Spectrograph (LATISS) has now formally begun. Commissioning activities have involved personnel in Chile, the UK, and Tucson, where the team has been using the new remote operations room that was recently constructed at Rubin Observatory Project headquarters (photo here). Read more about the AuxTel and spectrograph in this recent news item featuring the first images produced by the AuxTel spectrograph in late January. At SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, the first …