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The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science will support Rubin Observatory in its operations phase to carry out the Legacy Survey of Space and Time. They will also provide support for scientific research with the data. During operations, NSF funding is managed by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) under a cooperative agreement with NSF, and DOE funding is managed by SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), under contract by DOE. Rubin Observatory is operated by NSF NOIRLab and SLAC.

NSF is an independent federal agency created by Congress in 1950 to promote the progress of science. NSF supports basic research and people to create knowledge that transforms the future.

The DOE Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time.

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    1. Explore
    2. How Rubin Works

    How Rubin Works

    Rubin Observatory will revolutionize the way we explore the cosmos. Using the largest camera ever built to repeatedly scan the sky for 10 years, Rubin will produce an ultra-wide, ultra-high-definition, time-lapse view of our Universe. Learn how Rubin works below!

    Bringing the night sky to life

    Over the next decade, Rubin Observatory’s Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) will capture the southern sky in extraordinary detail, building the most complete time-lapse of the cosmos ever created.

    Learn more

    Powered by innovative technology

    Rubin Observatory is packed with innovative technology, from a one-of-a-kind combined primary/tertiary mirror to the largest camera ever built. Explore the technology that makes Rubin science possible.

    Explore the technology

    The Alert Stream

    Rubin will detect millions of changes in the southern sky every night, and issue a world-public alert for each change within minutes, allowing scientists to quickly follow up.

    Learn about the Alert Stream

    Key Numbers

    Primary mirror diameter
    8.4
    meters
    Secondary mirror diameter
    3.5
    meters
    Field of View
    3.5º
    (10 degrees2)
    LSST Camera height
    1.65
    meters
    LSST Camera length
    3.65
    meters
    LSST Camera resolution
    3200
    Megapixels
    Generated data volume
    20TB
    per night
    Stars & galaxies detected
    37billion
    in total
    Number of alerts
    10million
    per night
    More key numbers

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