Produced by: Mohsin Shaikh
Millions of Type Ia supernovae will be detected by the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, acting as cosmic yardsticks to measure the Universe’s expansion and refine our understanding of dark energy.
Credit: IPAC/Caltech
Supernovae explode with predictable brightness, allowing scientists to calculate their distance. By tracking how light from these explosions stretches over time, Rubin will map the changing speed of cosmic expansion.
Representative pic
Rubin will scan the southern sky every night for 10 years, producing up to 10 million alerts per night. No telescope has ever gathered this much data, forcing astronomers to develop new ways to manage the flood of discoveries.
Credit: Rubin Observatory
Dark energy, the force accelerating the Universe’s expansion, remains largely unknown. Scientist Anais Möller from the Rubin/LSST Dark Energy Science Collaboration believes Rubin could reveal whether dark energy changes over time.
Representative pic
Rubin will detect more supernovae in its first months than were used in the initial discovery of dark energy. If dark energy evolves, it could upend theories on the age, structure, and fate of the Universe.
Representative pic
Möller compares the Universe’s expansion to a rubber band stretching. If dark energy fluctuates, it means the Universe may not be expanding at a steady rate, challenging our understanding of time and space.
Representative pic
With Rubin producing 20 terabytes of data nightly, scientists rely on AI-driven software like Fink to sort and classify celestial events. This generational shift will define how astronomy is conducted for decades to come.
Credit: Rubin Observatory
By studying millions of supernovae, Rubin will refine our cosmic map, linking distant explosions to galaxy formations. This will give scientists an unparalleled timeline of the Universe’s evolution.
Representative pic
Rubin’s nightly sky surveys could rewrite what we know about the cosmos, from dark energy’s true nature to how galaxies formed. Its discoveries may hold answers to some of the Universe’s biggest mysteries.
Credit: Rubin Observatory/NSF/AURA