Announcements 2020

12 February 2020: Project & Science News On Cerro Pachón, the Auxiliary Telescope (AuxTel) spectrograph took its first on-sky images on January 27th. The AuxTel team was able to take data in all modes (both imagery and using dispersers). Reaching this milestone involved multiple Project members across the Telescope & Site, Data Management, and Camera teams over a period of years. The images collected also represent a significant milestone for system integration and commissioning efforts, as this system provides a realistic platform where all teams will continue to develop, deploy, and test their software; train personnel; and develop the operational environment and culture prior to commissioning the main observatory components. In early February, a combined team from Rubin Observatory, Asturfeito, and Burger Cranes successfully installed the Telescope Mount Assembly’s two main supports and the keel beam (which links the supports) inside the summit facility. The pieces were lifted through the observatory dome using …

30 January 2020: The North American Regional Office of Astronomy for Development (NA ROAD) became a reality today at a signing ceremony in Cape Town, South Africa. This milestone brings the vision of the global Office of Astronomy for Development (OAD) to North America and is the OAD’s eleventh Regional Office. The OAD promotes “Astronomy for a better world”, through the sharing of resources that promote STEM advancement, education, and workforce development through the inspiration of astronomy. OAD is an office of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) and the South African National Research Foundation (NRF). Regional Offices work closely with the global OAD with each focusing on a particular geographic or cultural region. The NA ROAD is established by a consortium of: Adler Planetarium, Associated Universities Inc. (AUI), Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA), and Geneva Lake Astrophysics and STEAM (GLAS). “AURA has a long tradition of engaging with the public …

24 January 2020: Project & Science News The AAS Winter meeting in Honolulu was the occasion for announcing the Project’s new name: Vera C. Rubin Observatory (Rubin Observatory). The official announcement was made at an open house on Monday, January 6th by Ralph Gaume, Director of the NSF Division of Astronomical Sciences; Kathy Turner, DOE Office of High Energy Physics program manager; and Steve Kahn, Rubin Observatory Director. Watch the video clip of the live announcement here, and read the press release here. For the first ten years of operation Vera C. Rubin Observatory will perform the Rubin Observatory Legacy Survey of Space and Time, using the Rubin Observatory LSST Camera and the Simonyi Survey Telescope” Following the renaming announcement, the Rubin Observatory open house featured presentations by Project Manager Victor Krabbendam, Deputy Director Zeljko Ivezic, Acting Director of Operations Bob Blum, Science Collaborations Coordinator Federica Bianco, and LSST Corporation Director of Science …