Vera Rubin Observatory spots 11,000+ new asteroids in 1st weeks
Technology
The Vera Rubin Observatory has already spotted over 11,000 new asteroids, within weeks of its first observations.
Thanks to its massive camera and wide-angle view of the southern sky, Rubin is mapping space at a record pace, showing off what's possible even before its main survey officially kicks off.
Rubin Observatory refines 80,000 asteroid orbits
Along with all those new asteroids, Rubin also sharpened the orbits for about 80,000 known ones.
The 33 near-Earth objects and hundreds of icy bodies beyond Neptune were additional discoveries.
This helps scientists track potential threats and learn more about how our solar system formed—all from nearly 1 million quick-fire exposures within weeks of initial imaging.