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 science images—“The First Look.”

Join us for a special public event in celebration of Rubin’s First Look, where we’ll explore Rubin’s newly released first images and the groundbreaking science they enable. Aaron Roodman will open the evening with an introduction to the observatory, featuring the world’s largest digital camera, and will lead a tour through these first images. Then, we’ll dive into three key areas of discovery: Risa Wechsler will explain how Rubin’s maps of billions of galaxies will allow us to trace the invisible scaffolding of dark matter and shed light on the nature of dark energy; Shreya Anand will highlight Rubin’s unprecedented ability to capture the dynamic, transient universe — from exploding stars to moving asteroids; and Christian Aganze will explore how Rubin’s census of tens of billions of stars will reveal the structure and history of our own Milky Way, including new insight into the faintest stars. We will end the evening with a live panel Q&A to discuss how Rubin will help decode the past, present, and future of our universe and our place in it.

Program:

• 7 - 7:10pm: Welcome & Introduction
• 7:10 - 7:25pm: A Closer Look at the First Images from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory (Aaron Roodman)
• 7:25 - 8:10pm: Three short talks highlighting key science areas:
  • Mapping the Invisible Universe (Risa Wechsler)
  • Revolutionizing Transient Astronomy (Shreya Anand)
  • Unveiling the Milky Way Structure (Christian Aganze)
• 8:10 - 8:45pm: Panel discussion with Q&A from the live audience

Featuring Speakers:

Aaron Roodman is a professor of Particle Physics & Astrophysics at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory specializing in observational cosmology, with a background in experimental particle physics. After two decades studying antimatter asymmetries, he shifted focus to understanding the universe’s expansion and dark energy and contributed to the development of the Dark Energy Camera and the Dark Energy Survey. He has played a major role in the construction of the LSST Camera, and is currently the leader of the LSST Camera program and Deputy Director of the Rubin Observatory for construction.

Risa Wechsler is the Humanities and Sciences Professor at Stanford University and Director of both KIPAC and the Center for Decoding the Universe. She holds faculty appointments in Stanford’s Department of Physics and at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. A leading cosmologist, her research explores the formation and structure of the universe, dark matter, dark energy, and the evolution of galaxies, combining simulations with large-scale observational data. She plays key leadership roles in major international collaborations such as the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) and the Rubin Observatory’s Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST).

Shreya Anand is a postdoctoral fellow at KIPAC/Stanford, who studies radiation from high-energy, astronomical explosions using large optical telescopes. Her primary research interest is in identifying and observing explosions that generate the heaviest elements in the Universe. Before joining Stanford, Shreya completed her PhD at California Institute of Technology and her B.Sc. from the University of Maryland.

Christian Aganze is a postdoctoral fellow at KIPAC/Stanford. He is a “Galactic archeologist,” spending a lot of time using various techniques to study how ancient stars can help us better understand the structure, formation, composition and evolution of our Galaxy. Christian obtained his PhD in physics from the University of California, San Diego and his B.Sc. from Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA.

Directions and Parking

This event will take place in the Hewlett Teaching Center (370 Jane Stanford Way) on the Stanford campus. Upon arrival, please check in in the foyer of the building and follow signs for Room 200.

The closest visitor parking is in the Via Ortega Garage and along the Stanford Oval. All parking is free in spaces marked Visitor, A, or C after 4pm unless indicated otherwise. Accessible parking is also available along the Stanford Oval.

If you plan to take public transportation, some lines of the Marguerite Shuttle connect between the Palo Alto Transit Center and the campus. You can get to the Hewlett Teaching Center by taking Line P (drops off at the Stanford Oval), Line X (drops off at the ChEM-H Building on Jane Stanford Way), and Line Y (picks up across from the ChEM-H Building on Jane Stanford Way). A complete list of shuttle schedules and route maps can be found here.