The Rubin Observatory's alert system sent 800,000 pings on its first night

"Every night, the camera captures about 1,000 images and then compares those against a reference image taken when the telescope first went online. Differences are automatically flagged, and an algorithm can distinguish between potential supernovas and approaching asteroids to send alerts to interested parties, all in just a matter of minutes."

"The system went live publicly on Tuesday, February 24th, and on the first night dropped some 800,000 alerts about asteroids, supernovas, and feasting black holes. And that number is only expected to climb to the multiple millions per night."

"The alerts aren't all-or-nothing. They can be filtered by event type, brightness, or even the number of events within a given time period. That should help keep researchers from becoming overwhelmed by alerts as the Rubin Observatory ramps up the rate of discoveries."

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory's automated alert system went live on February 24th, immediately producing approximately 800,000 alerts on its first night regarding asteroids, supernovas, and active black holes. The system is projected to generate millions of alerts nightly as operations expand. The observatory's car-sized Legacy Survey of Space and Time camera captures roughly 1,000 images each night and compares them against reference images from the telescope's initial activation. An algorithm automatically identifies differences and distinguishes between various celestial phenomena, sending alerts to astronomers within minutes. This enables rapid scientific response to transient astronomical events. The alert system includes customizable filters based on event type, brightness, and frequency, helping researchers manage the volume of notifications.

Read at The Verge