Vera Rubin Observatory Begins Sky Survey to Unlock Four Cosmic Mysteries
High in Chile’s Atacama Desert, the Vera C. Rubin Observatory has begun final tests before full operations start later this year. Built for wide-field sky surveys, the telescope will take a new image every 30 seconds, capturing the southern sky in unprecedented detail over the next decade.
Rubin’s 3,200-megapixel digital camera the largest ever built will scan the night sky using a unique wide-angle design that allows it to track fast-changing cosmic events and faint, distant objects. The observatory, named after the astronomer who provided key evidence for dark matter, is expected to collect 20 terabytes of data every night.
Once active, Rubin will catalog over 20 billion galaxies, 17 billion stars in the Milky Way, and possibly millions of asteroids, comets, and supernovae. “There will be so much data that we really have to come up with much different ways of analyzing it,” said Pauline Barmby, who has worked with survey data.
Among the scientific targets, four major mysteries top the list: the search for Planet Nine, identifying interstellar visitors, completing a map of the Milky Way, and probing dark matter and dark energy.
1. The Hunt for Planet Nine
For years, researchers have tracked strange patterns among distant Kuiper Belt objects icy worlds orbiting beyond Neptune. Their unexpected alignments suggest the pull of a hidden object. Some believe a Neptune-sized planet, unseen by current telescopes, may be shaping those orbits. It’s known as Planet Nine.
Current instruments lack the sensitivity to detect such a faint object so far from the sun. But Rubin’s ability to scan wide areas nightly could make it possible. “If the planet is there, we’ll see it like we see Pluto,” said Megan Schwamb. Researchers have mapped out a search zone. If it’s there, Rubin should find it in the first years of operation.
If not, Rubin will still uncover up to 37,000 trans-Neptunian objects, which could help confirm or disprove the Planet Nine theory. “There will be other weird patterns that we see in those orbits,” said Samantha Lawler. “That will lead to other interesting ideas.”
2. Detecting Interstellar Visitors
In 2017, a telescope in Hawaii spotted ‘Oumuamua, an object passing through the solar system from beyond. Another, Borisov, followed in 2019. These interstellar objects are rare, fast, and hard to study. Rubin’s constant sky monitoring will improve chances of detecting more.
Models predict Rubin could identify between five and 100 new interstellar objects by the end of its survey. “Each one tells us something about processes happening across our whole galaxy,” said planetary scientist Michele Bannister.
With rapid alerts from Rubin, astronomers can redirect ground and space-based telescopes to observe these visitors in real time tracking their paths, compositions, and potential origins. Though pinpointing where they come from is difficult, their chemistry could link them to stellar clusters or planetary systems.
3. Mapping the Milky Way in Full
Galaxies are dynamic, shaped by gravitational forces and ancient collisions. Rubin will track the motion of stars across time, identifying “stellar streams” trails left by smaller galaxies absorbed by the Milky Way.
The survey will also reveal faint dwarf galaxies orbiting our own. Some contain only hundreds of stars. “We’ll get a super complete picture of our Milky Way system,” said Yao-Yuan Mao.
Understanding how our galaxy evolved can answer broader questions. “Is what happens here typical in the universe?” Mao asked. “Or is there something unique about the Milky Way?”
4. Unraveling Dark Matter and Dark Energy
Rubin’s deep, repeated imaging of the sky will help map the locations of dark matter. Though invisible, dark matter bends the light of galaxies behind it a process called gravitational lensing. “We can map where the dark matter is by how we see the light bending,” said Alex Drlica-Wagner.
The observatory will also gather data to study dark energy the mysterious force accelerating the universe’s expansion. Using specific types of exploding stars, called supernovae, Rubin can help trace how fast galaxies are moving away. This may confirm whether dark energy remains constant or is evolving with time.
Together, dark matter and dark energy account for 95% of the universe’s contents. Rubin’s data could reshape theories about what they are and how they influence galaxy formation and cosmic structure.
Beyond What We Know
While Rubin is expected to advance known theories, astronomers are just as excited about the unknown. “Really good telescopes help us find things we never thought to look for,” said Michael Wood-Vasey. With Rubin’s sweeping gaze, even unexpected phenomena a kind of cosmic rabbit out of a hat may appear.
As the telescope prepares to go fully operational, scientists around the world are bracing for the flood of discoveries ahead. What Rubin reveals may not only answer astronomy’s biggest questions it may ask new ones we never imagined.
