In a ceremonial event held on June 23 at 4 p.m. in the Grand Hall of the Belgrade Youth Center, the Serbian scientific community joined the global celebration of the official start of operations at the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, whose state-of-the-art telescope is set to produce the most detailed map of the night sky over the next decade.
On this occasion, the observatory’s first revolutionary images of the Universe, captured during early observations, were presented to the public for the first time. These images offer an unprecedented wealth of astronomical data, unmatched by any other instrument currently in operation on Earth. By making them publicly available, a new era in space observation has officially begun.
The event was jointly organized by Serbia’s two most prestigious astronomical institutions — the Faculty of Mathematics at the University of Belgrade and the Astronomical Observatory in Belgrade, with the support of the Center for the Promotion of Science and the Belgrade Youth Center.
The event drew a record number of visitors from both the academic community and the general public. Its significance lies in the active participation of Serbian scientists from the Department of Astronomy and the Astronomical Observatory, who, alongside colleagues from around the world, have contributed to the development of instruments, scientific methodology, and research priorities for this extraordinary project.
The Serbian scientific team has been contributing to the Rubin project for over a decade, and an official cooperation agreement was signed in January this year. Their knowledge and dedication have secured a prominent place for Serbian science in this global mission to explore dark matter and energy, the evolution and structure of galaxies, and dynamic changes in the sky in real time.
The Belgrade event included a live stream of the global photo premiere from Chile, as well as a panel discussion featuring leading local and international experts. The importance of international collaboration was emphasized, as was the key role played by Serbian institutions in the development and application of cutting-edge scientific technologies.
Named after renowned American astronomer Vera Rubin, the observatory is equipped with a telescope featuring an 8.4-meter mirror and the largest digital camera ever built (3,200 megapixels), offering previously unimaginable precision in space observation. Through its ten-year Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) program, the observatory will systematically monitor the southern sky, capturing cosmic changes and gathering data of immense value for astronomy and astrophysics.
For the Astronomical Observatory in Belgrade and the Faculty of Mathematics at the University of Belgrade, this event stands as a confirmation of their scientific relevance and capacity to contribute meaningfully to the most advanced international research efforts in astronomy.
