The new Vera C. Rubin telescope in Chile has begun sky observations that will continue for 10 years. It will photograph the same regions of space so scientists can see not only distant objects, but also how they change over time.
Instead of a conventional photo album, the result will be something like a cosmic movie. The images will be compared with one another, and an automated alert system will report changes — for example, a supernova explosion or the movement of an asteroid. It can process up to seven million such signals per night.
Chief scientist Tony Tyson is so confident in the outcome that he calls it a "guarantee" and says the effect could "blow our minds." It seems that changes in the Universe will now be possible to follow almost in real time.
