UCT at forefront of cosmic milestone: Rubin Observatory first light

On Monday, 23 June 2025, University of Cape Town (UCT) astronomers, students and astronomy enthusiasts gathered at the Iziko Museum in Cape Town to celebrate the unveiling of the first light images from the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) – a flagship project of the Vera C Rubin Observatory in Chile.

This landmark marks the beginning of a ten-year journey to capture the universe’s southern skies in unprecedented detail, revealing mysteries from fleeting stellar explosions to the grand evolution of galaxies. Professor Patricia Whitelock, manager of the South African LSST project at UCT and the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO), emphasised Africa’s vital role in this global exploration of the cosmos.

Leading the South African cohort of principal investigators are Dr Lucia Marchetti and Professor David Buckley, both from UCT’s Department of Astronomy and the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO). Together with their students Kyle Solomons, Daniel Egbo and Anke van Dyk, they are at the forefront of this exciting new era, ready to explore vast and complex datasets using cutting-edge technologies and international collaborations. Harnessing artificial intelligence to sift through massive volumes of data, they aim to uncover discoveries that push the boundaries of our understanding of the cosmos.

For more information visit the Vera C Rubin Observatory website and UCT’s Department of Astronomy website.

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