Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 4 hours ago
Hunter Branch Meeting 2026-1 of the Royal Society of NSW — 19 March 2026
"Observing the Faint Universe with the Rubin Observatory's Legacy Survey of Space and Time"
Professor Sarah Brough FRSN FASA
Head, School of Physics
UNSW Sydney
https://www.royalsoc.org.au/events/hunter-branch-meeting-2026-1/
The presentation commences at 01:10
Time Stamps:
00:00:00 Introduction: Emeritus Professor George Willis FRSN FAA, Chair, RSNSW Hunter Branch
00:01:10 Presentation: Professor Sarah Brough FRSN FASA
00:46:24 Audience Q&A with Professor Brough moderated by Professor Willis
01:03:55 Meeting Close
Summary: Our understanding of the evolution of our own and other galaxies will be transformed by the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST), which begins later this year. This 10-year program, carried out by Chile’s Vera C Rubin Observatory, will use a 3,200-megapixel camera to make sensitive observations of the whole southern sky, studying faint stellar features around galaxies (shells, tidal tails, halos and stellar streams) and making the first statistically significant measurements of the diffuse stellar light at the centre of galaxy clusters. Interpreting and learning from this data will be a worldwide endeavour. Her talk will present the LSST survey and describe the anticipated role of Australian astronomers.
Professor Sarah Brough is an observational astronomer, the Head of the School of Physics at UNSW Sydney, Chair of the Australian Academy of Science’s National Committee for Astronomy, and she represents Australia on the intergovernmental European Southern Observatory Council.
Her research focuses on galaxy evolution, particularly how massive galaxies change over time and how their environments shape that process. She has played leading roles in major galaxy surveys and helped secure Australia’s participation in the Vera C. Rubin Observatory’s Legacy Survey of Space and Time. Brough has published extensively, represented Australian international astronomy councils, and is a strong advocate for equity and inclusion in science. She previously held an ARC Future Fellowship.
Disclaimer: The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the presenters or forum participants in this video, do not necessarily reflect those of the Royal Society of New South Wales.
Hunter Branch Meeting 2026-1 of the Royal Society of NSW — 19 March 2026
"Observing the Faint Universe with the Rubin Observatory's Legacy Survey of Space and Time"
Professor Sarah Brough FRSN FASA
Head, School of Physics
UNSW Sydney
https://www.royalsoc.org.au/events/hunter-branch-meeting-2026-1/
The presentation commences at 01:10
Time Stamps:
00:00:00 Introduction: Emeritus Professor George Willis FRSN FAA, Chair, RSNSW Hunter Branch
00:01:10 Presentation: Professor Sarah Brough FRSN FASA
00:46:24 Audience Q&A with Professor Brough moderated by Professor Willis
01:03:55 Meeting Close
Summary: Our understanding of the evolution of our own and other galaxies will be transformed by the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST), which begins later this year. This 10-year program, carried out by Chile’s Vera C Rubin Observatory, will use a 3,200-megapixel camera to make sensitive observations of the whole southern sky, studying faint stellar features around galaxies (shells, tidal tails, halos and stellar streams) and making the first statistically significant measurements of the diffuse stellar light at the centre of galaxy clusters. Interpreting and learning from this data will be a worldwide endeavour. Her talk will present the LSST survey and describe the anticipated role of Australian astronomers.
Professor Sarah Brough is an observational astronomer, the Head of the School of Physics at UNSW Sydney, Chair of the Australian Academy of Science’s National Committee for Astronomy, and she represents Australia on the intergovernmental European Southern Observatory Council.
Her research focuses on galaxy evolution, particularly how massive galaxies change over time and how their environments shape that process. She has played leading roles in major galaxy surveys and helped secure Australia’s participation in the Vera C. Rubin Observatory’s Legacy Survey of Space and Time. Brough has published extensively, represented Australian international astronomy councils, and is a strong advocate for equity and inclusion in science. She previously held an ARC Future Fellowship.
Disclaimer: The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the presenters or forum participants in this video, do not necessarily reflect those of the Royal Society of New South Wales.
