This week has been a long year
First, ICYMI, @vrubinobs.bsky.social hit a HUGE milestone with our live alert stream going public. I've worked on various aspects of this since joining UW and @dirac-institute.bsky.social in late 2016. Learn more about how this works, including how to access the data:
DIRAC × UW Astronomy Holiday Celebration
So much to celebrate this year — from Rubin’s first light to the incredible faculty, research scientists, staff, postdocs, and students who make our community thrive!
Something’s a little sus… 👀
Flares, flashes, and fakes — not every change in the night sky is what it seems 💥✨
Test your skills with Rubin Difference Detectives on Zooniverse! Help Rubin scientists spot cosmic events (and catch the imposters). 🌌🔍
👉 zooniverse.org/rubin
Thank you to Yun-Hao Zhang for joining us at DIRAC today.
Zhang presented a machine-learning framework that uses Self-Organising Maps for LSST photometric-redshift calibration.
Did you know?
In 2025, the U.S. quarter features Vera Rubin, honoring her landmark discovery of the existence of dark matter — a tribute that perfectly coincides with the first light of the Rubin Observatory(@vrubinobs.bsky.social), celebrating her enduring legacy in unveiling the unseen universe.
Today’s DIRAC all-hands meeting — full of great discussions, updates, and momentum as we move into the next phase of Rubin Observatory science!
#DIRAC #RubinObservatory #LSST #UniversityOfWashington #Astrophysics
View of Rubin Observatory at sunset in May 2024, on Cerro Pachón in Chile.
Did you know? When scientists began brainstorming @vrubinobs.bsky.social 3 decades ago, they had the title Dark Matter Telescope in mind? With its wide field of view and sensitivity to the faintest objects, Rubin will reveal how dark matter and dark energy shape the universe. 🔭 #darkmatterday.
🎃👻 Have a safe and spooky night and remember to look up at the sky! 🌌👻🎃
Big thanks to Aster G Taylor from University of Michigan for sharing how their research on giant planet formation, dark comets, and interstellar visitors like 3I/ATLAS can help us understand how stellar systems form and evolve.
Ten million supernovae? We’re ready for it. 💥
The Rubin Observatory’s LSST will open an era of real-time, data-rich astronomy and here at the DIRAC Institute, we’re building the tools to make sense of it all.
#RubinObservatory #LSST #DIRACInstitute #DataDrivenDiscovery
We're thrilled to announce that applications are open for the 2026 DiRAC Fellowship! We're looking for up to three early-career scientists who are passionate about data-intensive astrophysics, eager to dive into early science with Rubin Observatory's LSST.
Learn more: aas.org/jobregister/...
A stylish man in a hat stands speaking among scientists at tables with laptops.
Full house at @dirac-institute.bsky.social for our @vrubinobs.bsky.social Data Preview 1 sprint! 🔭
Around two dozen people sit and stand at a long desk with computer monitors out of view. Several people are smiling or have their mouths open in amazement. One person in the back has their arms raised in celebration.
Eye to the sky…on-sky engineering tests have begun at NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory using the world’s largest digital camera! 🔭🧪
After installing and testing the LSST Camera, we turned the telescope to the sky—a moment 20 years in the making!
With that, Rubin #CommissioningNotes are back ✍️
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We're excited to announce our Summer Research Prize program again this year, which supports undergrad research for UW astronomy students! Join us today in making this program a success:
dirac.astro.washington.edu/supporting-t...
We're excited to announce our Summer Research Prize program again this year, which supports undergrad research for UW astronomy students! Join us today in making this program a success:
dirac.astro.washington.edu/supporting-t...
Welcome!!!
Rubin Observatory in a golden sunset, with its silver dome glinting in the light of the setting Sun. We see the observatory's long white service building and vertical silver dome such that the white service building appears pointed slightly to our left. To the left, the brilliantly setting Sun glows bright orange, illuminating the landscape in a golden glow. The Chilean desert mountain ridges become more and more opaque as they recede into the distance, creating a layered look.
Hello BlueSky, we’re the Vera C. Rubin Observatory! 👋
Rubin is a new facility being built on Cerro Pachón in Chile. When complete, Rubin will image the sky every 3-4 nights for 10 years, using an 8.4m telescope & 3200 Mpx car-sized camera 🔭🧪
🔗: rubinobservatory.org
Do you have a (social) scientific or technical background and are you excited to support scientific innovation and inclusion in a unique way? Do you enjoy meeting new people and building new relationships? Come work with me at LSST Discovery Alliance! lsstdiscoveryalliance.org/director-for...
Hello BlueSky. We're excited to be here, celebrating the work done by our team at the Institute for Data Intensive Research in Astrophysics and Cosmology - aka DiRAC!
Check out our 2023 Annual Report to see what we've been up to...
dirac.astro.washington.edu/annual-repor...
