Announcements 2024

18 April 2024: Lori Allen, Mid-Scale Observatories (MSO) Director at NSF NOIRLab, has been named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Election as an AAAS Fellow is an honor bestowed upon AAAS members by their peers. MSO encompasses both Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile and Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona. Allen was elected as an AAAS Fellow for “exceptional leadership in advancing ground-based optical-infrared astronomy.” The 2023 Fellows class includes 502 scientists, engineers and innovators across 24 AAAS disciplinary Sections. The newly elected Fellows overwhelmingly represent the fields of biological sciences, chemistry, medical sciences and engineering followed by neuroscience and physics. The new Fellows will each receive a certificate and a gold and blue rosette pin (representing science and engineering, respectively) to commemorate their election and will be celebrated at a forum on 21 September 2024. That evening, AAAS will also celebrate the program's 150th …

4 April 2024: Project and Science News Reminder: On April 7th, Daylight Saving Time will end in Chile and clocks will fall one hour back. After two decades of work, the 3200-megapixel LSST Camera has officially been completed at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in Menlo Park, CA. This huge Rubin milestone was announced with a press release issued by SLAC on April 3rd. Congratulations to the Camera team and the many others who contributed to this achievement. The second LSST Camera explainer video in SLAC’s series was shared via social media in mid-March and is available on YouTube. The video features Travis Lange, Deputy Project Manager & Camera Integration Manager for the LSST Camera. On the summit, the glass blank for Rubin’s 8.4-meter primary/tertiary mirror (M1M3) was moved onto the mirror cell — the mirror’s steel support structure — for the first time on March 20th (photos here). A team from the Richard …

22 March 2024: Come join us at the Kitt Peak Visitor Center on 8 April from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. to view the partial solar eclipse! Located at Kitt Peak National Observatory, a Program of NSF’s NOIRLab, this walk-around style event will give visitors a unique opportunity to watch one of the most exciting astronomical events of the decade from the largest observatory in the country while surrounded by dozens of research-grade telescopes. While we will not be seeing the totality of the eclipse, we will still see 70% of the Sun’s diameter covered by the Moon. Arrive at the Visitor Center any time between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. to join us in telescope viewing, using special eclipse glasses and more! A light meal is included for anyone attending. The eclipse will begin at 10:05 a.m. MST and will last about 2.5 hours. We recommend arriving at 10 a.m. for the …

20 March 2024: Project and Science News On March 7th, Rubin’s 8.4-meter Primary/Tertiary Mirror (M1M3) was moved from a storage building on the summit to the maintenance floor inside the observatory for the first time. With this move, M1M3 is officially “home” inside the main observatory building, where it will remain for the rest of Construction and throughout the ten-year survey. More details, photos, and a video of the move are available in this news post. A nine-person team from the Richard F. Caris Mirror Lab, where M1M3 was cast, ground, and polished, will be on-site next week to perform the next big move of the mirror onto the steel support cell. SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory has released a new explainer video for Rubin Observatory and the LSST Camera featuring Aaron Roodman, Deputy Director of Rubin Construction for SLAC. The video is posted on SLAC’s social media channels, including Instagram and LinkedIn. Registration …

14 March 2024: The IAU Centre for the Protection of the Dark and Quiet Sky from Satellite Constellation Interference (CPS), which is co-hosted by NSF’s NOIRLab and the SKAO, has released a paper entitled Call to Protect the Dark and Quiet Sky from Harmful Interference by Satellite Constellations that states its recommendations for the mitigation of satellite constellations’ impact on astronomy. The document is the culmination of 18 months’ work by a multidisciplinary group of experts, including astronomers, industry representatives and policy advisors, led by Gyula I. G. Józsa of MPIfR, and represents the view of the IAU Centre on what steps should now be taken to address the issue. The 30-page document summarises the current understanding of the effects of satellite constellations on professional optical and radio astronomy, as well as humanity’s connection with the night sky, including its cultural significance and its importance to amateur astronomers. It proposes a range of …

12 March 2024: Vera C. Rubin Observatory’s 8.4-meter combined primary-tertiary mirror is officially home after being moved to the main observatory’s maintenance floor, where it will remain for the rest of the construction phase and throughout Rubin’s ten-year Legacy Survey of Space and Time. The mirror, which is still an uncoated glass blank, arrived on Cerro Pachón, the mountain in Chile where the observatory is located, in May 2019. Since then it’s been safely packed in a transport box and stored in a building outside the observatory. On 7 March the summit team loaded that box onto a specialized truck to make the short, but important, 600-meter (650-yard) journey from the storage building to the observatory. That wasn’t the only major move on the summit that week. To make room for the glass mirror in the observatory, the transport team first had to remove the 8.4-meter steel stand-in mirror. The successful transport of …

11 March 2024: The astronomy fair AstroDay Chile 2024, organized by NSF’s NOIRLab and AURA, will kick off the celebrations of the National Day of Astronomy in Chile on Friday 15 March. The fair takes place from 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the Gabriela Mistral Regional Library in La Serena. From paper rocket construction to a feature of the world-acclaimed production Big Astronomy, there will be a diverse selection of fun and educational activities for the whole family. AstroDay Chile is one the most popular events for astronomy in Chile. In attendance will be professionals from observatories such as Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory and Vera C. Rubin Observatory, both of them Programs of NSF’s NOIRLab, International Gemini Observatory, which is operated by NSF’s NOIRLab, the Las Campanas Observatory and many more, offering the public a unique opportunity to learn about the latest scientific discoveries and advances from the observatories in Chile, and …

6 March 2024: Project & Science News This year’s Rubin Community Workshop 2024 (formerly PCW) will take place July 22-26 at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in Menlo Park, CA. All are welcome to suggest breakout session topics and to submit abstracts for contributed talks and posters (deadline April 5th), details are available on community.lsst.org. Information about registration will be circulated soon. Thanks to everyone who uploaded a photo or video clip for this year’s Rubin Day in the Life (DITL) initiative — there were 115 submissions this year. The video will be released in the coming weeks, watch in Slack for a link. March is Women’s History Month, and Rubin is hosting “social media takeover days” throughout the month. Follow Rubin’s accounts on X (Twitter), Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn for more information and to enjoy posts provided by women from the Rubin community. We’ll also share these posts on the #rubin-social-media channel on …

15 February 2024: After intense discussions, the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UN COPUOS) Scientific and Technical Subcommittee has agreed to include an item on its provisional agenda for the next five years with the title “Dark and Quiet Skies, astronomy and large constellations: addressing emerging issues and challenges”. As the UN’s top body for space-related matters, with delegates from more than 102 countries, COPUOS deals with all topics related to international cooperation and the exploration of space and planetary bodies, including the deployment of satellites, space debris mitigation, the long-term sustainability of space and the use of orbital slots. The proposal, championed by Chile and Spain — both countries hosting significant international astronomy infrastructure — and the astronomy community, received widespread support and was co-signed by several delegations [1]. The International Astronomical Union (IAU), European Southern Observatory (ESO), European Astronomical Society (EAS), and Square Kilometre Array Observatory …

14 February 2024: Project & Science News The fourth in a series of Rubin science releases showcasing Rubin’s upcoming contributions to various areas of astronomy and astrophysics is now available. Read (in English or Spanish) and share “Rubin Observatory will Inspire a New Era in Space Missions without Ever Leaving the Ground,” on rubinobservatory.org. Following the removal of the Primary/Tertiary (M1M3) mirror cell from the Telescope Mount Assembly (TMA) in mid-January, its mass surrogate was re-installed on the TMA to enable dynamic testing towards final verification and closeout of the contract with the Spanish consortium UTE. Meanwhile, the M1M3 cell is now on the maintenance floor of the summit facility where the internal actuator supports and other hardware are being removed in preparation for a final test of the process to coat the mirror. The M1M3 surrogate mirror was washed last week (photo) to prepare for placing it under vacuum in the coating …

13 February 2024: The NOIRLab Ambassador Program, launched in May 2023, aims to increase public engagement with NOIRLab and its Programs, including Vera C. Rubin Observatory Construction, by working together with motivated and enthusiastic volunteers to share our mission and science with new audiences. A major milestone for the program has been achieved with the selection of the first thirty ambassadors! The new ambassadors represent a diverse, personable, creative, and enthusiastic group of individuals with a range of skills who have an interest in promoting NOIRLab’s scientific discoveries, education initiatives, and activities to the public. Over the next 12 months they will contribute to NOIRLab and Rubin in a variety of ways including audiovisual (images and video), music, art (including crafts), education, social media and advocacy for dark skies. In all, seven audiovisual ambassadors, ten social media ambassadors, two music ambassadors, 13 education ambassadors, one dark skies ambassador and two art ambassadors were …

31 January 2024: Applications are now being accepted for the 2024 Astronomy in Chile Educator Ambassadors Program (ACEAP), in which NSF’s NOIRLab is a partner. To apply, visit the ACEAP website. This program, now in its ninth year, brings amateur astronomers, planetarium personnel, and formal and informal astronomy educators to US-funded astronomy observatories in Chile, including Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) and the International Gemini Observatory, both Programs of NOIRLab. While there, ambassadors receive behind-the-scenes tours of some of the world’s most productive and advanced telescopes, including in-depth information on their instruments and discoveries. Prior to the ACEAP Expedition, participants engage in professional development activities designed to improve Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) communication and education. The aim of ACEAP is to share the wonders of astronomy with students, the general public, and space enthusiasts, while building awareness of the amazing resources and facilities in Chile and the data they produce that …

26 January 2024: We are sorry to pass on the sad news that John Jefferies, former Director of the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO, now NSF’s NOIRLab), passed away on the evening of 18 January. He was 98. Jefferies served as NOAO’s first Director beginning in 1984 when Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO) and the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) were united into one entity, serving until 1987. Jefferies’ astronomy roots were in solar physics beginning in his native Australia: specifically in developing the physical understanding of solar flares and radio bursts. After a highly productive research career spent both in Australia and various institutions in the continental US, Jefferies went to the University of Hawai‘i in 1964 to start a solar physics program. At that time, Jefferies also submitted a proposal to NASA on behalf of the University of Hawai‘i to build and operate a telescope to support planetary research. After winning …

25 January 2024: Project & Science News Rubin Observatory leadership and team members joined more than 3000 scientists, students, and astronomy enthusiasts at the American Astronomical Society Winter Meeting (AAS#243) January 7-11 in New Orleans, LA. During the meeting, Rubin hosted an exhibit booth, a well-attended session on Early Science with LSST, and a Town Hall (the slides from the science session and the Town Hall are available on Zenodo). Read more about the meeting in this news post, and view photos in the Gallery. The Survey Cadence Optimization Committee (SCOC) announces “Rubin ToO 2024: Envisioning the Vera C. Rubin Observatory LSST Target of Opportunity program,” a workshop that will take place in Berkeley, CA and online on March 18-20. More information and a link to register are available on the meeting website. On Cerro Pachón last week, the summit team removed the Primary/Tertiary Mirror (M1M3) cell and surrogate mirror from the Telescope …

23 January 2024: We are pleased to announce the appointment of Scott Dahm as the International Gemini Observatory’s Interim Director. Nominated by NOIRLab’s Director Patrick McCarthy and confirmed by the Gemini Board, Dahm will be stepping into his new role in January 2024. Dahm will succeed Jennifer Lotz who has served since 2018 as Director of Gemini. On 12 February 2024, Lotz will begin her five-year appointment as Director of the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI). AURA thanks Jennifer Lotz for her excellent tenure as Gemini Director. Dahm is currently the Deputy Director of the International Gemini Observatory, a Program of NSF’s NOIRLab. He has held this position since 9 January 2023. He received his PhD in astronomy from the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa under George Herbig, on the study of young stellar clusters. He subsequently served as an NSF Postdoctoral Fellow at Caltech, a staff astronomer at W. M. Keck Observatory …

17 January 2024: The sixth (January 2024) edition of The NOIRLab Mirror newsletter is now available. This biannual publication focuses on news for the NOIRLab community and showcases the science, technology, and developments across the five NOIRLab Programs: the Community Science and Data Center (CSDC), Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), the International Gemini Observatory, Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), and Vera C. Rubin Observatory Operations. The January 2024 issue features a collection of science highlights spanning the breadth of NOIRLab facilities and Programs, a recap of the October 2023 IAU Symposium #385 “Astronomy and Satellite Constellations: Pathways Forward,” the launch of the Cool Neighbors Citizen Science Project, a look back on the 2023 La Serena School for Data Science, an announcement of the International Gemini Observatory’s Long-Range Strategic Vision for the 2030s, an overview of NOIRLab’s public visits program, and much more. The NOIRLab Mirror is free and notifications of the release of …