Overview

The Simons Observatory is mapping the sky at millimeter wavelengths to unprecedented sensitivity.  These maps contain the cosmic microwave background (CMB), leftover radiation from the Big Bang, but also a variety of other signals.

This will enable scientists to explore a wide range of questions, including those related to the beginning of the universe, the particle nature of dark matter, the properties of neutrinos, cosmic acceleration, and galaxy formation.

It will also explore questions nearer to us, including those related to the nature of cosmic dust throughout our Milky Way galaxy, and the mechanisms behind high-energy rapid explosions of astrophysical objects.

The Simons Observatory science goals will be realized through effort organized across dedicated working groups focused on achieving cosmological and astrophysical findings based on our observations.

The Simons Observatory is located near the summit of Cerro Toco, an extinct stratovolcano located in the Atacama Desert of Northern Chile in the Andes Mountain range at an elevation of 5190 meters (17,000 feet).

Given the extreme high-elevation and stable airmass in the Atacama Desert region – considered to be the driest location on Earth – the Simons Observatory site is a premier location worldwide for probing the CMB and gathering related experimental cosmology data.

The Simons Observatory consists of a 6 meter diameter Large Aperture Telescope, three 0.5 meter diameter Small Aperture Telescopes, all featuring cryogenically cooled optics and detectors sensitive to millimeter wavelength radiation, as well as a complement of laboratory and control room facilities.

Future instrumentation deployment plans include adding three additional SATs, as well as a photovoltaic power plant to ensure the energy security of this remote observatory site.

The Simons Observatory is committed to increasing the exposure of our scientific and technological advances through active educational and public engagement programs, in addition to its core science and technology work to advance our cosmological understanding of the observable universe.

The education and public engagement programs of the Simons Observatory are focused on presenting the work of SO scientists and technologists both to thought leaders across the astronomical sciences and the science-interested public.

The educational mission of SO also holds creative events and programming which bring SO work, as well as the fields of cosmology and astrophysics in general, to non-scientists around the world.  Moreover, SO supports educational programming and training aimed at getting students of all ages excited about science, as well as careers in science and technology development.