Rubin Digest 10 September 2024

11 September 2024

Project and Science News

Daylight Saving Time started in Chile on September 8th, so Chile is now four hours ahead of official Project time (PST). Be aware that meeting times may change — organizers can help confirm start times. 

The Summit team re-installed the Rubin Commissioning Camera (ComCam) on the telescope on August 23rd. ComCam has previously been on the telescope, but was removed before the installation of the secondary mirror (M2) in late July. ComCam — a smaller (144 megapixel), simpler version of the full 3200-megapixel LSST Camera — is being used for testing and commissioning activities prior to installation of the LSST Camera, anticipated to happen late this year. In the coming weeks the summit team will install the primary/tertiary (M1M3) mirror cell with its coated glass mirror, enabling ComCam to produce the first astronomical data from the Simonyi Survey Telescope. Watch a video of the installation on Rubin’s YouTube channel, and see additional photos in the Gallery.

On August 29th, Rubin Observatory's secondary mirror was cleaned for the first time since its installation on the telescope, using liquid carbon dioxide in a process called “CO2 snow cleaning.” The high-velocity carbon dioxide dislodges dust and other debris without causing damage to the sensitive mirror surface or leaving behind any residue. See a video of the cleaning process in the Gallery. 

Since the LSST Camera arrived at the summit in May, the team has been busy preparing the camera for a round of electro-optical testing in the level 3 clean room of the summit facility. Preparations have included updating the operating system on all computers (within the Camera as well as workstations), and upgrading both filter loaders and both auto changers (the devices used to load filters into/out of the Camera, and to switch filters internally). The team has also prepared the Camera's cryo refrigeration system, developed and tested new vacuum system code to allow safer operation of the Camera's two vacuum systems, and unpacked all six optical filters. Three of the filters are now installed in the Camera, and three in the custom filter storage container. The cryo systems were turned on late last week and the Camera reached its operating temperature within the day. The CCD’s have now also been turned on and the temperature stabilized at ~ -100 C (see this graph of the full cooldown), enabling the start of about 6 weeks of electro-optical testing. This testing campaign will be used to complete the verification of a few remaining requirements as well as further characterize the Camera’s performance. Recent photos are available in the Gallery.

A team of leadership and communications staff from Rubin, NOIRLab, AURA, SLAC, NSF, and DOE gathered in Tucson September 3-4 for a planning workshop focused on the media release of Rubin’s first images in mid-2025 — aka “Rubin First Look.” The productive two-day meeting offered important opportunities for collaboration between organizations and stakeholders, and for clarification of responsibilities and timelines. 

A reminder that we’re looking for enthusiastic, media-trained (or willing to be trained) individuals from Rubin staff and the worldwide Rubin science community that we can connect with reporters/journalists for interviews. We plan to offer basic media training, including talking points and key messages. Interview referrals will only be made after completion of the training. If you’re interested, please fill out the Rubin media contact volunteer form. 

The Rubin Science Advisory Committee met on July 22nd, during the Rubin Community Workshop. Among the topics discussed were the criteria by which the ten-year LSST survey will formally begin, the scope of the computational resources available to the Rubin Science Community, the nature of available data products for solar system objects, the uniformity of co-added data in intermediate data releases, and the details of target-of-opportunity observations. For more details, read the posted report. 

Operations Updates

Rubin Observatory will present to the NSF’s Astronomy and Astrophysics Advisory Committee (AAAC) in an open session on September 19th at 1:45pm EDT. Eric Bellm will discuss Rubin’s alert production capabilities with the committee. More information is on the AAAC website. 

New 2025 meetings dates have been set: The South American – African Astronomy Coordination Committee (SA3CC) Meeting will take place on May 6-7, and the Vera Rubin Network Engineering Team (NET) meeting on May 8-9. Both meetings will be hosted by REUNA and NOIRLab in La Serena, Chile, at the NOIRLab La Serena Base Facility.

LSST Discovery Alliance News

Members of the Rubin community are invited to register for the second annual LSST-DA Catalyst Symposium and Hack Day, which will take place October 21-23, 2024, at Northwestern University. There is no registration fee for this event. The first two days will focus on talks by Catalyst Fellows and social scientists as well as networking activities. On the third day, participants will be encouraged to explore and launch new collaborative projects, including those that make use of LINCC Frameworks tools, involve social scientists, or involve Catalyst Fellows. Space is limited, and the deadline to book a room at the conference hotel at the negotiated rate is September 20th.

The call for proposals is now open for the sixth cohort of the LINCC Frameworks Incubator program. The application form can be found here.

Personnel Announcements & Opportunities:

Eric Rosas, a developer with the Rubin EPO team, was promoted to the position of EPO Technical Lead on September 9th. In his new role, Eric will guide the small team of EPO developers enabling the technical infrastructure of rubinobservatory.org as well as all the varied Rubin EPO products and apps. One of Eric's initial responsibilities will be leading searches to fill two developer positions within the EPO team. Please contact him at eric.rosas@noirlab.edu for more details about these soon-to-be posted positions.

Gonzalo Seriche has joined the DM team as DevOps Engineer. He will work with our developers to complete the Chilean infrastructure supporting the camera(s) operations. 

Rubin has a new position for an Electronics Engineer in Chile. Visit the Rubin hiring page to see this and all other open positions with Rubin. 

Info for Project Members:

Nominate someone deserving for a future staff award on the Staff Awards page on the Project website (login required).

If you’d like to schedule a one-on-one meeting with Victor or Zeljko, please fill out this form to indicate your preferred date and time. 

The link to Rubin’s anonymous “suggestion box” will be changing soon, until a new link is announced please contact our Workplace Culture Advocates (login required) with your suggestions. 

Rubin Observatory swag items, including t-shirts, coffee mugs, tote bags, and more, are available for purchase in our not-for-profit online store. 

Upcoming Meetings with Rubin Observatory Involvement

(those with an asterisk* are supported by LSST Discovery Alliance): 

2024

September 16-20	LSST@Europe6, La Palma, Spain*
September 25-27	LSST Solar System Readiness Sprint, Oxford, UK*
November 6-8	AURA Management Council for Rubin Observatory (AMCR) Meeting, La Serena, Chile
November 10-14	Astronomical Data Analysis Software & Systems (ADASS), Malta
November 11-15	XIX Chilean Astronomical Society (SOCHIAS) Annual Meeting, Arica, Chile

2025

January 12-16

American Astronomical Society (AAS 247) Winter Meeting, National Harbor, MD