RISE OF VERA RUBIN'S SUPER OBSERVATORY

Astronomy’s new era will be defined by a wider and deeper view of the universe

- Robert Lea

Vera Rubin

In the 1970s, while studying the Andromeda Galaxy, Rubin noticed it was rotating at a rate that seemed to defy Newton’s laws of motion. The astronomer had discovered the first direct evidence for dark matter, first theorised four decades earlier. Throughout her impressive career, Rubin was a tireless champion for women’s rights within the field of astronomy. It is only fitting that an astronomer may crack the secrets of dark matter using a facility named in her honour. And thanks to Rubin’s tireless struggle for equality, there is a good chance that this astronomer will be a woman.

The history of astronomy has been defined by advancements in telescope technology catching up with current theories and leapfrogging them, in the process providing new, exciting and challenging aspects of the universe to study. Telescopes have now reached the point where a single astronomer with a single telescope can make very little new headway. True astronomical innovation in the 21st century requires massive collaborations. The next leap in our observations of the cosmos is upon us, and will be delivered courtesy of a sizable undertaking: the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, currently under construction on the El Penon peak of Cerro Pachón in northern Chile.