At an altitude of more than 2,600 metres, in the hills of northern Chile, a new giant eye has just opened up to the universe. It is the Vera C. Rubin telescope, the most advanced of its kind. It recently captured its first test images: a clear sign that a new era for astronomy has begun. From Córdoba, the Instituto de Astronomía Teórica y Experimental (IATE) accompanies this historic moment as a member of this observatory, ensuring that Argentina is present and active in this unprecedented exploration of the cosmos.

The Rubin project is an international initiative on an enormous scale, involving thousands of people around the globe. United by the common goal of better understanding the universe, these teams work from different institutions to plan, build, operate and scientifically exploit one of the most ambitious instruments in the history of astronomy. The coordination of the Argentinean group participating in this effort is in charge of Mariano Domínguez Romero, who articulates the national contribution within this global collaboration.

The observatory has begun a decade-long census of the sky, scanning the entire visible sky every three nights with a 3,200 megapixel camera (the largest ever built). Each image will cover an area 40 times the size of the full Moon, revealing previously unseen details of distant galaxies, nearby asteroids and unpredictable cosmic phenomena.

IATE, with decades of experience in astronomical research, has been instrumental in positioning the country within this ambitious global effort. In particular, it participates in the development of software for the observatory's camera as part of the international group defined in the documentSITCOMTN-050: Summary of In-Kind Contributions to Rubin Observatory System Integration, Test, and Commissioning Efforts. This work is carried out from Argentina by Carolina Villalón and Marco Rocchietti, part of the team of support staff at IATE, who develop fundamental tools and work with great dedication on the control and acquisition systems of the camera, under the coordination of the researcher Dante Paz. The first lights captured in these days are not only a technical test passed: they are the confirmation that the system will work as expected and the gateway to new opportunities for Argentinean science.

 

 

What distinguishes this participation is that the institute is not just observing. It is developing observatory tools that will give the national astronomical community first-hand access to an unprecedented volume of information. As the telescope prepares to begin regular operations, IATE teams are already working on camera and data analysis systems that will search for everything from traces of elusive dark matter to asteroids that could pose potential hazards to Earth.

But the impact goes beyond scientific knowledge. This project is training a new generation in astronomy and data science in Argentina, trained in cutting-edge techniques with applications that transcend astronomy. The skills needed to process this avalanche of cosmic information (equivalent to 20 terabytes every night) are also projected in areas such as artificial intelligence, medical imaging and climate prediction.

The images obtained these days are just a prologue of what is to come. When Rubin starts its full mapping, every night it will be able to reveal fundamental mysteries of the universe that still defy our theories. Thanks to the sustained work of IATE, researchers and students from all over the country will have direct access to these discoveries, ensuring that Argentina not only observes the future of astronomy, but helps to build it.

For national science, this is a decisive moment. The capabilities developed through this collaboration position the country at the forefront of global astronomical research for the coming decades, showing that Argentine talent recognises no borders.