On a cold, clear night last April, on a remote mountaintop in Chile, the world’s largest digital camera was pointed to the heavens for the very first time.
Unveiled a few months later, the dazzling images revealed millions of distant stars and galaxies, and more than 2,000 asteroids never before seen in our solar system.
And right there watching it all with a big smile and a dropped jaw was Dr. Melissa Graham, Artsci’04, the lead community scientist for operations at the brand-new
“To witness how the hard work of our whole team resulted in such incredible first images was so thrilling,” says Graham, an astronomy research scientist at the University of Washington. “After many years of preparation, to see the remarkable quality and detail of the images we're contributing to astronomical research – I’m really excited for the science.”
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The Rubin Observatory sits beneath a night sky rich with cosmic detail – the Milky Way arcs overhead while the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds glow nearby. (Photo: NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory/P.J. Assuncao Lago)
Perched atop Cerro Pachón among some of the darkest skies on Earth, the Rubin Observatory’s unprecedented mirror design, camera sensitivity, telescope speed, and computing power mean it will be ground zero for new discoveries across many astronomical fields: from asteroids and comets, to pulsating stars and supernova explosions, to dark energy cosmology.
Over the next 10 years, the observatory will execute the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST), the widest, fastest, and deepest astronomical survey humans have ever done – by a large margin, says Graham.
“It’s very inspiring to be part of this, especially at the first national U.S. observatory to be named after a woman. Dr. Rubin’s discoveries provided evidence for dark matter and changed astronomy.”
Graham’s role at the new facility is to lead the Community Science team, which looks after all the community-facing resources that accompany each data release. They also support scientists and students using Rubin’s data products by resolving issues, running workshops, and helping a global community of researchers make sense of unprecedented datasets.
“We often use the term ‘democratizing astronomy’ to describe what we do,” says Graham. “The huge volume of images we collect will be processed and provided as science-ready data products, which reduces barriers for those who don’t have access to expensive servers or the time to process raw data.”
This image combines 678 separate images taken by NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory in just over seven hours of observing time. Combining many images in this way clearly reveals otherwise faint or invisible details, such as the clouds of gas and dust that comprise the Trifid nebula (top) and the Lagoon nebula, which are several thousand light-years away from Earth. (Photo: NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory)
Graham’s interest in the cosmos took root early. Growing up, she was inspired by Carl Sagan’s books and remembers being an avid reader of The Backyard Astronomer’s Guide. One of her first science projects – “What is light?” – hinted at where she was headed.
She chose Queen’s in part because it had astronomy classes, and she took full advantage. Judith Irwin’s astronomy class was a highlight, as was getting to use the telescope on Ellis Hall for a project. Summer jobs refurbishing telescopes and doing early coding projects helped her build technical skills and confidence.
“In general, Queen's just had a lot of astronomy-related opportunities,” she says. “I've made all of my career decisions based on telescope access ever since!”
Today, Graham’s research focuses on supernovae – exploding stars that the LSST is expected to find by the millions over the next decade.
“With all the orbiting Solar System objects, stars pulsating across the Milky Way, and explosions in distant galaxies – every night is a new sky, and Rubin Observatory will capture the cosmos. It's amazing that my job is to help others participate in this science,” she says.
As for what she’d tell girls and young women considering futures in science, Graham says the field needs their curiosity.
“Follow what interests you. Ask questions. It’s our universe, and to understand it requires all kinds of perspectives and contributions – including yours.”
Help future students access the same kinds of opportunities that shaped Graham’s path by exploring giving opportunities in the and the .
