Petr Kubánek

We present Rubin Data Preview 1 (DP1), the first data from the National Science Foundation–Department of Energy Vera C. Rubin Observatory, comprising raw and calibrated single-epoch images, coadds, difference images, detection catalogs, and ancillary data products. DP1 is based on 1792 optical–near-infrared exposures acquired over 48 distinct nights by the Rubin Commissioning Camera (LSSTComCam) on the Simonyi Survey Telescope at the Summit Facility on Cerro Pachón, Chile in late 2024. DP1 covers ∼15 deg ² distributed across seven roughly equal-sized noncontiguous fields, each independently observed in six broad photometric bands, ugrizy . The median FWHM of the point-spread function across all bands is approximately 1 . ″ 14, with the sharpest images reaching about 0 . ″ 58. The 5 σ point-source depths for coadded images in the deepest field, the Extended Chandra Deep Field South, are u = 24.55, g = 26.18, r = 25.96, i = 25.71, z = 25.07, and y = 23.1. Other fields are no more than 2.2 mag shallower in any band, where they have nonzero coverage. DP1 contains approximately 2.3 million distinct astrophysical objects, of which 1.6 million are extended in at least one band in coadds, and 431 solar system objects, of which 93 are new discoveries. DP1 is approximately 3.5 TB in size and is available to Vera C. Rubin Observatory data rights holders via the Rubin Science Platform, a cloud-based environment for the analysis of petascale astronomical data. While small compared to future LSST releases, its high quality and diversity of data support a broad range of early science investigations ahead of full operations in 2026.

We report on the observation and measurement of astrometry, photometry, morphology, and activity of the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS, also designated C/2025 N1 (ATLAS) with the NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory. Comet 3I/ATLAS, the third known interstellar object, was discovered on UT 2025 July 1. Rubin Observatory had coincidentally collected images of the object’s region of the sky during routine commissioning. Facilitated by Rubin’s high resolution and large aperture, we successfully recovered object detections from Rubin observations spanning UT 2025 June 21 (10 days before discovery, when 3I/ATLAS was 4.5 au from the Sun) through the date of discovery, and we acquired additional images through UT 2025 July 20 as part of commissioning. We measure on-sky locations of 3I/ATLAS in Rubin ugrizy bands, with a typical precision of ∼70 mas, and briefly describe the reason this is coarser than our measured static source astrometric precision of ∼3 mas in Rubin images. We measure grizy magnitudes of 3I/ATLAS photometry at ∼0.01 mag precision, detecting no short-term photometric variability above 0.01 mag. We derive an estimated near-nucleus dust-to-nucleus scattering cross-sectional ratio of η ≳ 13 on UT 2025 July 2 based on Rubin photometry and an upper limit nucleus size computed from Hubble Space Telescope observations. We find Rubin colors of g − r = (0.657 ± 0.013) mag, r − i = (0.235 ± 0.018) mag, i − z = (0.147 ± 0.042) mag, and z − y = (0.047 ± 0.052) mag. These data represent the earliest observations of this object by a large (≳8 m class) telescope and illustrate the type of measurements (and discoveries) Rubin’s Legacy Survey of Space and Time will provide after it begins in early 2026.

EPJ Web of Conferences, open-access proceedings in physics and astronomy

The Burst Observer and Optical Transient Exploring System (BOOTES), is a global robotic observatory network, which started in 1998 with Spanish leadership devoted to study optical emissions from gamma ray bursts (GRBs) that occur in the Universe. We present shot history and current status of BOOTES network. The Network philosophy, science and some details of 117 GRBs followed-up are discussed.

Tight requirements on the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope point spread function (PSF) demand sensor contribution to PSF be both small and well characterized. The sensor PSF is determined by the lateral charge diffusion on the drift path from the photon conversion point to the gates. The maximum drift path occurs for photons converted at the window, for blue optical photons in particular. Charges generated at the window surface undergo "worst case" charge spreading and the blue optical PSF is used to characterize the sensor's PSF. Different techniques for charge diffusion characterization have been developed, each with its own systematics and measurement difficulties. A new way to measure charge diffusion using an X-ray source is presented. We demonstrate the effectiveness and limitations of our technique and discuss relation of charge diffusion value obtained with X-ray measurements to sensor PSF.

RTS2, or Remote Telescope System 2nd Version, is an open-source, distributed and modular observatory control system. During the course of its development lasting over a decade, the original goal to develop software capable of searches for optical transients of γ-ray bursts changed to develop a system for full control of large observatories executing complex observing scenarios. In this presentation, we would like to share our experience with meta-queues scheduling, developed primarily for automation of the FLWO 1.2m telescope. Meta-queues scheduling allows observers to quickly build and com- bine dierent observational scenarios, while still retaining ToO and weather interruption capabilities. Thanks to the queues and scheduling graphical user interface, observers can use the system without the need to under- stand complex functions used in the traditional merit function scheduling. By combining meta-queues and merit function scheduling, observatories can oer dierent options to schedule their observations to their users, so the acquired data will match the observers' expectations. © (2012) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.