The coverage and hoopla around the Vera C. Rubin Observatory have died down a bit. Mentioned briefly in the First Look Event was the Skyviewer “app” (actually an interactive website, skyviewer.app), which includes a sonification tool (Skysynth). This site/app allows… Read More »Vera Rubin Uploading
The University of Hawaii announced on Friday that the UKIRT telescope on Maunakea is, officially, to be decommissioned: https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2025/06/27/uh-to-decommission-3rd-maunakea-telescope/ UKIRT once stood for “United Kingdom InfraRed Telescope.” Which may have you thinking, “wait- why is the University of Hawaii telling… Read More »Infrared Telescope ‘Insolvent’
Okay, one more Rubin Observatory post: gizmodo.com/rubin-observatorys-stunning-result-proves-its-a-game-changer-for-spotting-dangerous-asteroids-2000621581 I’ve already posted that the Vera Rubin Observatory will be– and now demonstrates it is– the new and undisputed champion of asteroid discovery. Let the conspiracy theory nuts take heed: NASA is not… Read More »Vera Rubin Upstanding
In Astronomical Journal, for July (vol 170 #1): Xu, X. Wang, X. Muinonen, K. et al. Photometric Analysis of Asteroids in the Phocaea Region Art. 35 add3f4Silber, E.A. Trigo-Rodríguez, J. M. Oseghae, I. et al. Multiparameter Constraints on Empirical Infrasound… Read More »Note, Paper: Plenty Planet Pieces
See also: Day 1 The 33rd meeting of the Small Bodies Assessment Group continues. This is a somewhat shorter SBAG meeting than usual. Given the upheaval of January/February, and the budget/regulatory risk, funding could not be confidently assigned for Early… Read More »Summer 2025 SBAG Meeting, Day 2
Yes, it’s time for the 33rd Meeting of the NASA Small Bodies Assessment Group (SBAG). https://www.lpi.usra.edu/sbag/meetings/sbagjune2025/ See the schedule: https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/sbagjune2025/technical_program/?session_no=101 Really, the overarching theme was the strangling of planetary science, and not just at small bodies. We are talking about… Read More »Summer 2025 SBAG Meeting, Day 1
The press conference for the first release of images from the NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory just wrapped. Granted, the embargo lifted at midnight this morning, so news outlets already posted their stories with the two ‘glamour shots’. Still, there… Read More »Vera Rubin Release: M49, Trifid/Lagoon
No shortage of coverage for Vera Rubin, but… https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2025-06-22/vera-rubin-observatory-universe-never-before/105442694Ellen Phiddian The Vera C Rubin Observatory is about to show us the universe like never before …this one is abc-relevant, and I don’t mean the publisher. ABC is Australia’s equivalent of the… Read More »Vera Rubin Down Under
You know the Vera Rubin Observatory is still a big deal when it make the New York Times. www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/06/19/science/rubin-observatory-camera.htmlJonathan Corum, Kenneth Chang Jun 19 Earth’s Largest Camera Takes 3 Billion-Pixel Images of the Night Sky Not as in-depth as the Science… Read More »Vera Rubin Uptown
Cover of Science. You know the Vera Rubin Observatory is a big deal when it makes the cover of Science magazine. In vol. 388, issue 6753 (19 June 2025): https://www.science.org/content/article/giant-all-seeing-telescope-set-revolutionize-astronomyDaniel Clery 18 Jun All-seeing eye p. 1256 10.1126/science.z3ptiml https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adz8351Daniel Clery … Read More »Vera Rubin Of Late