The Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile, operational since recently, detected 2,104 asteroids in its first 10 hours, exceeding 10% of the annual global asteroid discovery rate. Equipped with the largest digital camera ever built (3,200 megapixels), the observatory's ten-year Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) aims to collect 500 petabytes of data – more than humanity has ever recorded. This groundbreaking project, a collaboration between SLAC and NSF NOIRLab, promises to revolutionize our understanding of the universe.

Prepared by Olivia Bennett and reviewed by editorial team.