Astronomy Live: Vera Rubin’s First Light

Tuesday, September 16, 2025

7 pm

The Trifid and Lagoon nebulas - clouds of hydrogen emit a pink glow while hot stars shine blue.
NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory

Join Associate Curator of Astrophysics Jackie Faherty for an awe-inspiring look at the dawn of a new era in astronomy. As the Vera C. Rubin Observatory sends its first images back to Earth, Faherty will guide audiences through what makes this observatory so revolutionary. 

Named for the trailblazing astronomer Vera Cooper Rubin, who helped confirm the existence of dark matter, the observatory will scan the entire southern sky every few nights for a decade, creating the most comprehensive time-lapse movie of the universe ever attempted. Faherty will explore how this groundbreaking facility is going to transform our understanding of the cosmos, from tracking asteroids and exploding stars to uncovering the elusive nature of dark energy and dark matter. 

This program utilizes OpenSpace software supported by NASA under award No NNX16AB93A. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.