World's biggest camera now spotting cosmic events in real-time
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile just sent out its first public real-time alerts (date not specified).
These notifications flag new asteroids, supernovae, and other cosmic events—using a massive 3.2-gigapixel camera to scan the skies for anything unusual.
The camera snaps 10TB of data every night
Every night, the observatory's camera crunches through 10TB of data and compares fresh images with older ones.
If something changes—a new object or a sudden event—it sends out a public alert within two minutes, so astronomers everywhere can jump in fast.
Astronomers worldwide use these updates to track things
Anyone can access these discoveries through community alert brokers such as ALeRCE, AMPEL, ANTARES, Fink, Lasair and others.
Astronomers around the world use these updates to team up and track things like moving asteroids or exploding stars—making big discoveries together.
The Rubin team expects to submit observations to the Minor Planet Center soon
These alerts help scientists spot hazardous asteroids early and catch supernovae right as they happen.
The Rubin team expects to begin submitting observations to the Minor Planet Center after additional quality checks, possibly within a week or two after the alerts begin (date not specified)—helping keep tabs on our ever-changing universe in real time.