NSF-supported observatory renamed for astronomer Vera C. Rubin

The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope will now be called the NSF Vera C. Rubin Observatory, making it the first national U.S. observatory to be named after a female astronomer.  Announced at the 2020 American Astronomical Society winter meeting, the name recognizes the role Rubin played in better understanding dark matter, which will be one of the observatory survey’s four main themes. 

“Named after an astronomer who provided important evidence of the existence of …