Monday, December 11, 2017 at 4:00 PM

JILA Auditorium

Beth Willman, LSST/ University of Arizona

"The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope"

Abstract:

The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) will be a public optical survey of ~half of the sky, in 6 filters, to a depth of r ~ 27.5 mag, over ~800 visits over a 10-year period. Four pillars compose the heart of LSST's science priorities: taking an inventory of our Solar System, exploring the transient and variable optical sky, mapping the Milky Way and its neighborhood, and delving into the nature of dark matter and dark energy. LSST will be a super discovery machine for an enormous number and diversity of objects (including Near Earth Objects, distant supernovae, and ultra-faint galaxies) that will transform our view of the universe for decades to come. In this talk, I will give an overview of the LSST Project and science goals, give updates on the construction progress towards first-light, and highlight ways for the scientific community to get involved now.

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