The Next Generation of Wide-Field Optical Observatories: Science and Synergies

The new Vera C. Rubin Observatory, which started the 10-year Legacy Survey of Space and Time on June 29, 2026 (Credit : NOIRLab)

Abstract

New optical telescopes will open new windows onto the observations of the dynamic sky, providing opportunities for synergies with radio facilities. The Vera C. Rubin Observatory has begun operations, scanning the Southern sky every few nights with the world’s largest digital camera. Meanwhile, the upcoming Argus Array is under construction at my home institution in North Carolina. Argus will take optical time-domain observations a step further, continuously filming the entire Northern sky every second with 1,200 telescopes working in unison to form a combined 122 Gigapixel camera. Together, Rubin and Argus will define a new era of time-domain and multi-messenger astronomy. I will present some exciting science cases that these observatories enable, from the discovery of gravitational-wave counterparts and relativistic transients to the exploration of sub-minute optical transients that remain largely uncharted.