This hybrid event is open to all and recommended for adults and students above 9th grade.

What is the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, and what makes it so special? Join us for flash talks and a panel Q&A to learn more about how Rubin is set to transform the future of astronomy with the release of its first scientific images!

Title: The First Glimpses Into the Deepest Cosmic Mysteries

Format: Short presentations and panel Q&A with the live audience (program to be annouced)

Event description: The Vera C. Rubin Observatory, equipped with the largest digital camera ever built on Earth, is set to capture detailed images of the entire sky every few nights for the next 10 years. This unprecedented project will help scientists tackle the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy, map our own Milky Way, monitor transient objects like asteroids, and build the most comprehensive inventory of the Solar System to date. On June 23, the Rubin Observatory will release its first scientific images—“The First Look.”

Join us for a special public event in celebration of Rubin’s First Look and the beginning of a new era in astronomy! This event will include brief presentations on the first images and the science areas Rubin is set to transform, followed by a live panel Q&A to discuss the Observatory’s exciting scientific potential in the coming decade.

Featuring speakers:

• Prof. Aaron Roodman (SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory): lead of the Vera Rubin Observatory camera program; expert in the study of dark energy
• Prof. Risa Wechsler (Stanford & SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory): director of KIPAC; expert in the study of dark matter, the Milky Way, and satellite galaxies
• Dr. Shreya Anand (Stanford): postdoctoral scholar; expert in the study of transient objects
• Dr. Christian Aganze (Stanford): postdoctoral scholar; expert in the study of the Milky Way and brown dwarfs

Program:

• 7 - 7:10pm: Welcome & Introduction
• 7:10 - 7:25pm: Dissecting the First Images from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory (Aaron Roodman)
• 7:25 - 8:10pm: Three short talks highlighting key science areas:
  • Dark matter and dark energy (Risa Wechsler)
  • The Transient Sky (Shreya Anand)
  • Our Own Milky Way (Christian Aganze)
• 8:10 - 8:45pm: Panel discussion with Q&A from the live audience

This event will be offered in a hybrid format. Live stream URL can be found at the bottom of the EventBrite registration confirmation email.