Topic: Zwicky, Rubin, and Friends – new tools and new questions for time-domain astronomy
Speaker: Steve Murray, SDAA Member and NASA Solar System Ambassador
Time Domain astronomy is the study of how astronomical objects change with time, from seconds to decades. Understanding these events is essential to understanding the workings of the Universe. A new field of study is centered on those objects with rapid change called “transients.” New telescope and machine learning technologies have increased the cadence of observations, accuracy of measurement and classification, and collaboration between programs. Palomar Observatory and others have been advancing systematic transient studies. In 2025, the Vera C Rubin Observatory will boost them further still. These instruments – some dedicated and some adapted to purpose – are answering critical questions about how the Universe “runs.”