Top 5 Facts: LSST’s goals

1 – Find dark matter
The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope will detect signatures of dark energy and dark matter by measuring weak gravitational lensing present in deep space.

 
2 – Track asteroids
In under a minute the LSST will be able to find objects that are merely 140 metres (460 feet) wide in the Asteroid Belt, helping us to chart potentially dangerous near-Earth objects.

 
3 – Record movies
The rapid image-capturing and processing power of the telescope will enable it to watch superfast events in the universe unfold, such as novas and supernovas.

 
4 – Map the Milky Way
The ability of this massive telescope to capture the entire night sky in just three days will be crucial in our continued attempts to map out our galaxy.

 
5 – Make new discoveries
The incredible imaging power of this telescope and its wide field of view mean that it is highly expected to make numerous unprecedented cosmic discoveries.