Rubin Observatory & Simonyi Survey Telescope Naming

Rubin Observatory atop its rocky summit under a sky of star trails. The observatory building resembles a foot and ankle shape, with a white main building and silver dome sticking up. The night sky is filled with curved streaks. The streaks are stars that have moved across the sky while the camera shutter was open. The focal point of the curved star trails is out of view to the upper left.

First national US observatory to be named after a woman

On January 6, 2020, NSF announced that the LSST would be named the NSF Vera C. Rubin Observatory (Rubin Observatory).

NSF also announced the telescope at the Rubin Observatory will be named the Simonyi Survey Telescope in recognition of the significant private donation made through the Corporation early in the construction phase in support of the design, development, and fabrication of the telescope’s primary mirror.

See the full press release.